The Great Crossover Crisis
by Hung Nguyen
Summary: [Multicrossover] One is magical, the second is technological. The third is wild and the fourth is the epitomy of calm. The last is just plain bizarre. What do all five of these people have in common? They were all born with the name Ranma.
1. Prologue

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Introduction: Hey there! Well, this will probably be one of my most challenging projects to date. With Dual Destinies nearing its end (I promise that I will finish it off!), and my other stories are also getting huge followings, I have finally caved in to the requests of having my alternate Ranmas meet. I have written to have four of my Ranmas come together into this miniseries. Now this won't affect the individual stories, but the readers will like how each Ranma and their different personalities clash together. You will also see some other anime characters as I begin this tale that I call the Great Crossover Crisis. 

" ": Chinese language 

* *: Thoughts 

D-Ranma: Dragon Ranma from Dragon Child 

T-Ranma: Techno-Ranma from Ranmatech 

B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury 

As always, Rumiko Takahashi and all those other anime and manga writers created all the characters mentioned in this story. In the words of Stan Lee, 'Nuff said. 

**Prologue **

A Really BIG Bug in the System! 

Universe A 

In a plane that was far removed from the infinite and often tangled mess that is reality, a goddess by the name of Skuld, was currently making some minor... adjustments to the Ultimate Force System, the super-computer that ran just about everything in her universe. Well, it would be more accurate to say that she was just getting rid of a few bugs. Of course her method of debugging the system left much to be desired. With her atomic Bug Smasher Mark II held up high, she was bopping those little critters out of existence like some weird parody of Whack a Mole. Unfortunately, for every bug she clobbered out of existence, several more would pop up and start playing havoc with the system. 

Meanwhile, down below on the human plane, a certain martial artist who happened to be a master of the Neko Ken, was sitting in the restaurant of his longtime friend and sometime fiancée. 

"Hey Ucchan! This is really great! Just what I needed after that White Claw mess." Kojiro Shinkara, formally Ranma Saotome, enjoyed his okonomiyaki as Ukyo watched him. 

"Thanks Ko-chan." Ukyo said as she gazed dreamily at her fiancee's hybrid form that he was currently in. 

Universe B 

In another universe, a second Skuld was also doing her own version of 'Whack a Bug' as she continually smacked the bugs as they appeared. She smiled as another of those pests bit the dust, then frowned as three more appeared near a console which had the files of a certain blind martial artist. She hefted her mallet and charged at them. 

Down on this Earth, a blind but very talented practitioner of the Unseen Light Martial Arts walked home beside his adopted cousin Shampoo. 

"I think you are doing very well. You and the others will be ready to face off against Kodachi." 

"It's all thanks to you Ranma." Shampoo replied as she snuggled up close to her cousin and hoped future husband. 

Universe C 

A third Skuld was smacking away at a console, trying to clear out the bugs, but was so far getting nowhere. Like her counterparts, this goddess of the future was also getting close to a certain console that contained the files of a Ranma Saotome. 

On Earth, the dragon of the Saotome clan was busy playing with his kid sister. 

Universe D 

Yep! You guessed it! This Skuld was also hard at work smashing bugs and not making much progress. She too was dangerously close to a certain console. 

Somewhere out in space, a ship was racing along. It was streamlined and shaped like something out of Star Wars. Inside the cockpit, Ranma was looking over the navigational charts for the quickest route to the nearest intergalactic trading station. His ship was in need of a few replacement parts and he thought that he could go get them on the weekend, as he had no classes to teach. After plotting a course to the station, he reached for the controls to engage his quantum-phase drive. 

Now, in normal circumstances, these four Ranmas would never have had the slightest chance of ever encountering each other as the Ultimate Force System in each universe kept their realities separate. However, due to a certain and almost unbelievable coincidence, four separate goddesses of the future were about to cause one heck of a glitch and throw into the system, the proverbial monkey wench. Or in this case, the hammer. 

**"I GOT YOU!!!"** All four Skulds yelled out simultaneously as they smashed their hammers on top of a huge bug on each of their consoles. The gigantic glitches disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but unfortunately, the Skulds had put a little too much force into their blows. The hammers crashed through the top panels and gave the delicate circuitry beneath a nasty jolt. Sparks began to fly and wisps of smoke began to appear. 

"Uh oh!" The four Norns of the future said as they stepped back. Alarms began to ring out and it wasn't long before their older sister Urd joined each counterpart. Simultaneously, the same scene unfolded. 

"Skuld! What the heck did you do?" 

"I'm sorry! I was just trying to get rid of all the bugs and I..." Skuld looked over to the ruined panel which was seemed to be moaning in pain. 

Urd gasped as she ran to the smashed equipment and began typing on a nearby keyboard. She frowned as she saw the readout. "Oh no! Skuld! Do you realize what you've done?! You have just caused a mutltiverse rift! We're not talking about between two parallel universes! You've connected four universes together and opened up rifts in several others!" 

"I didn't mean it!" 

"Never mind that now! Come here and help me! We have to try and seal up those rifts before any of them lose elements of their realities!" 

All four Skulds nodded as they rushed to their sister's aid. Working feverishly at the controls, the four universe pairs of goddesses raced to seal up the accidental tears in the space-time continuum. 

Universe D 

Ranma wondered what was going on when he saw a huge tear in space in front of him, just as he activated the quantum-phase drive. He was pressed back into his chair as his ship was suddenly sucked into the hole, which then sealed itself up. 

Universe A 

Kojiro waved goodbye to Ukyo and then began hopping rooftops back to his apartment. He had decided to switch back to his human form as the okonomiyaki chef had started to become a little too amorous. It was then that he noticed something sparkling in the distance. Curious, he ran toward it. When he made a leap that would place him on a roof near the light, it then suddenly exploded into a huge rip in reality. Kojiro was unable to reverse his forward momentum in time and was instantly sucked into the gap. The hole remained for a few moments more before closing up. 

Universe B 

The blind Ranma was sitting on the roof of Pepper's Place and playing his flute. It was then that he suddenly stopped as his extraordinary senses picked up something... odd. It felt to him as if the entire fabric of his environment was coming apart. Strange energies were being emitted from... somewhere. Ranma shook his head in order to clear it, but his senses began to feel as if they were on overload. Whatever this power was, it wasn't anything like he sensed before. 

Ranma got to his feet, trying to get down from the roof, but his seventh and sixth sense weren't cooperating. He had also lost his sense of balance as he began to feel a jumble of conflicting energies. He held his head with his hands, trying to focus through the pounding that began to ring in his ears. He was so confused by all the spiritual static that he didn't notice a hole had formed behind him. When he turned around, he stumbled forward and was enveloped into the fissure before it closed up. 

Universe C 

Ranma was flying high over Juuban. He always loved to take evening flights before going to bed. He had been thinking about taking Kisara with him one of these days, when his ki suddenly began to feel erratic. For a moment, he thought he was over Jusenkyo again. 

"Whoa!" Ranma found himself dropping like a stone, as his inner energies were no longer focused to keep him aloft. Something had interfered with his concentration and was a mixture of magic and strange energies. 

The young dragon warrior looked down at the approaching ground, then his eyes widened. It wasn't the fall that bothered him. As he was part-dragon, Ranma could survive a drop from five thousand feet without any problems. He had done it before in the Dragon World. No, it was the sudden appearance of a rip in the sky below him that caught his attention. Before he could react, he fell into the rift and was gone from sight. 

Meanwhile, back at the Ultimate Force System in the four universes, each Skuld and Urd were wiping their brows as the rifts in the connected realities were closed. 

"Whoa! That was close!" Urd commented. 

"Yeah." Skuld agreed as she looked over to the damaged console. She began typing a few commands to see the extent of the damage and assess what was lost. She then cried out in dismay. "Oh no! We weren't fast enough in sealing those rifts! We lost one element from our reality!" 

"What?!" Urd exclaimed as she rushed to the still intact viewscreen. 

In the other three universes, the same scene was happening with the other Skulds and Urds. They each discovered that one person from their dimensions had been sucked into the rifts and was now tumbling through the chaotic web of limbo where all realities intersected. 

In the Universe A, B and C, the goddesses knew that those three Ranmas would perish unprotected in that myriad of disordered and frenzied energies. Already, the blind Ranma and Kojiro was screaming in agony as they felt their bodies and minds being torn apart, little by little. D-Ranma wasn't suffering as much, but even a Blood Bonded martial artist would not survive for long in limbo. 

Simultaneously, in Universe A, B, and C... 

"Skuld! He'll die out there!" 

"Wait a second!" Skuld exclaimed. "I'm picking up three other people that have the similar dimensional signatures!" 

Urd looked down at the console and nodded. "Those must be his dimensional counterparts from those other three universes. Looks like one of them is protected inside a ship. Do you think we can transport our guy into that craft?" 

"I think so!" 

"Do it! We can then pull him out once we transport the craft to a neutral area of limbo." 

In limbo, T-Ranma was quite surprised when three other people suddenly appeared in a heap behind him in the pilot cabin of his ship. However, he only spared them a glance as he fought to regain control of his craft. He couldn't tell exactly where he was, but he was certain that this definitely wasn't hyperspace. On his main viewscreen, he could only see an infinite web of energy lines and flashes that go on and on. His navigational circuits were totally fried and he could only hope for the best as he engaged the quantum-fold drive to blast him back into real space. 

In all four universes... 

"NO!!!!!!" 

Both Urd and Skuld screamed as they saw the craft jump forward and disappear into an adjacent timeline. 

"Skuld! Where'd they go?" 

"I don't know!" 

"What?! What do you mean you don't know?" 

"The console that was damaged had our dimensional trace on him. I've lost track of him and his counterparts! And it also looked like they've been swept into one of the side timelines and then into a nexus!" 

"So right now they're bouncing through several universes?" 

"I'm afraid so, and the worst part of it is... I don't know how to get them back!" 

To be continued... 

Author's Notes

Well, people have been asking me to do crossovers with several series and I think our intrepid four will be having the wildest rides of their lives. Which universe will they crash into first? As they battle their way through these adventures, the four will begin to learn about one another and their shared history. 


	2. Chapter 1

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Well, I'm the one who started this so I guess that means that I have to disclaim it. This story and all the others I have written are just for fun. 

* *: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

T-Ranma: TechnoRanma from Ranmatech 

B-Ranma: Blind Ranma from Fighting Blind 

D-Ranma: Dragon Ranma from Dragon Child 

Kojiro: Tiger Ranma from Cat Fist Fury 

**

Chapter 1 

**

Magical Mayhem 

The Slayers Universe 

"Hey Lina! Look up there. A shooting star!" Gourry Gabriev said to his petite and very temperamental traveling companion as they watched the night sky. The two were camped in a forest and were just getting settled down for the night. They were with their friends, Zelgadis Graywords, Amelia Seyrrun and Sylphiel Lahda. 

Lina Inverse; Bandit-killer, Dragon-spooker (she hates that name) and sorceress extraordinaire, looked up and saw the bright flash of red-white light as it streaked across the sky and then disappeared into the distance behind a mountain range. 

"Pretty, but it's nothing for us to be concerned about." Lina shrugged as she prepared to lie down to sleep. 

Zelgadis looked over to where Amelia was watching the shooting star. The Chimeran-cursed loner saw that familiar, starry-eyed look of the princess of Sailoon. He watched as she closed her eyes and held up her hands and if in prayer. 

"Making a wish, Amelia?" 

The self-proclaimed Defender of Justice ™ nodded as she said, "It is a sign from the gods of truth and righteousness! They smile upon us this night, and give us their blessings as we journey to right wrongs and triumph over evil!" 

Zelgadis sighed and shook his head. Amelia was at it again. Ever since that encounter with Hellmaster Fibrizo, the heir to the throne of Sailoon was getting more Gung Ho about becoming a crusader of justice. He couldn't fault her for her enthusiasm, but her little escapades were getting embarrassing as time went on. As of now, with the Claire Bible not available, the stony-faced Chimera man had to search for another way to cure himself of his affliction. He had thought that traveling with Lina and the others might be able to turn up something, but so far, no new options or directions were available. As of now, the group was just traveling around with no particular destination in mind. 

As Zelgadis saw the shooting star's fiery trail disappear over the horizon, he felt a sudden chill. Since it was a relatively warm evening, he wondered why he felt so uneasy all of a sudden. 

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away, a strange craft made a not so gentle landing near the foot of a mountain range. It made a belly landing and plowed into a rocky ridge, carving a huge trench and blazing the ground with its superheated armored hull. The nearby wildlife scattered as the behemoth rush by them, causing several sparse trees to catch fire in its wake. It skidded for several hundred yards before coming to a halt, kicking up clods of dirt, stray rocks and clouds of dust and smoke. Then it began to grow quiet as the fires it had caused with its landing began to slowly burn themselves out. The engines of the ship whined to a pathetic stop and soon, all was silent. 

Inside the pilot's cabin, T-Ranma shook his head as he sat up from his seat. As landings went, that wasn't one of his smoothest but at least they were still in one piece. 

*Computer, initiate self-diagnostics and status report.* The nanotech warrior placed a hand on the console and some of the indicators came back to life as he interfaced with the ship's systems. 

A minute later, his biocomputer had completed the required scans. (*Self-diagnostics completed. Host is functioning within normal parameters. Damage has been sustained to the main drive and several navigational systems require extensive repairs. Quantum-phase drive is off-line due to low levels of kerium. Main reactors and auxiliary power still operational at 40%. Essential life-support and weapon systems are functional. All other systems are available, with the exception of communications. *) 

*Is the ship still spaceworthy? * 

(*Negative. The ship still has atmospheric capability but will not be able to achieve planetary escape due to damage to main drive and insufficient power levels. Estimated auto-repairs and power regeneration will require a minimum of 168 hours before the ship becomes capable of space travel. Also take note, that with the lack of kerium, hyperlight travel will not be possible. *) 

*Oh boy. What other bad news do you got for me? * 

The biocomputer gave him the rest of the bad news. (* Host is not only on an uncharted world, but also in a separate dimension. *) 

*What?! * 

(*This unit has analyzed all available data that concurs with the recent events. Scanners have detected high amounts of tachyon and vertion particles that correlate with a massive dimensional rift. Scanners have also found traces of chronal energies and dimension traces that do not match with host's home universe. Speculation indicates that a gravimetric anomaly had occurred during activation of the quantum-phase drive. The ship was pulled off course and entered a dimensional nexus when Host renegaged the drive. *) 

*Perfect! Just perfect! Not only are we lost on another planet, but also we're lost in another dimension! And since the navigational circuits were fried when we tried using the drive, I haven't the slightest idea where we started off from, much less where to go to get us back! * 

(*Host does have more pressing problems at the moment. *) 

*Like what? * 

(*Passengers are starting to regain consciousness. *) 

Sure enough, T-Ranma heard a trio of moans as his three unexpected stowaways began to rouse themselves. When he swiveled in his seat to gaze upon them, his eyes widened as he saw… himself. 

*Computer… they look like… ME! * 

At first, Kojiro thought he was staring into a mirror when he saw the person sitting in the pilot's seat. He couldn't believe his eyes. *No way! What's going on? * His nostrils flared a bit and his eyes widened even further as he caught the stranger's scent. It was almost the same as his! Then he caught the whiff of two other scents. He turned to one side, then to the other. What he saw was… Ranma… and Ranma? 

Kojiro wasn't the only person who thought that his sensitive nose was going haywire. B-Ranma was also puzzled as to why his nose was picking up three scents that were nearly identical to his own. What was even more confusing was that he was sensing ki and spiritual energies that mirrored his. The only differences he could detect were in the way the other ki were being focused. One signature was wild and feral. He could also feel Jusenkyo's power emanating from him. The second was heavily steeped in magic of various levels, while the third seemed to be boosted by unnatural means. It was also strange that he was sensing not one ki source from that person, but billions of tiny pinpricks that were gathered together in perfect harmony. 

D-Ranma stared as he compared each Ranma with himself. To him, all of them had low levels of magic, but the one nearest to him had the telltale signs of Jusenkyo's influence. The one next to him had an aura that seemed to probe at him. The person sitting in the chair had no considerable magical talents, but the energies that the dragon warrior sensed within T-Ranma was frightening! Though he had learned much about the mystic arts, he was also very aware of the magic humans called science and the devastation it was capable of doing. 

T-Ranma's scanners were busy scanning each of his counterparts and had cause for concern. All three had the same basic DNA structure and spiritual signatures as his. Their power levels varied with each, but D-Ranma had a power that could rival his own. 

*Computer… who are these people? * 

(*From the recent dimensional disruption and all available data… *) 

*Skip the technical jargon and give it to me straight! * 

(*To put it simply Ranma, these people are… Ranma. Judging from their similar dimensional signatures and their common genetic coding in comparison to you, these are three examples of yourself. In short, they are your dimensional counterparts. *) 

The four Ranmas continued to stare at one another for a long time, before Kojiro decided to break the silence. 

"So… uh… you all wouldn't happen to be Ranma Saotome, would you?" 

A long, long time later… 

"So that's about all I can tell you guys about me." B-Ranma said as he finished his life's story. All four were sitting outside the ship and were huddled around a campfire. After a period of high tension and what almost turned into a melee, the four Ranmas had introduced themselves to each other and had told of their personal histories. All except T-Ranma, who had no memory of his early life before the nanites had been injected into his body. 

Kojiro gave a low whistle as he commented on the Amazon's tale. "Man, and I thought my Cat Fist training was bad. At least I kept my eyes. I guess you could call me the lucky one." 

B-Ranma nodded. "So you actually have full control of the Cat Fist?" 

"You bet!" Kojiro said with a bit of pride. "After falling into the Spring of Drowned Monster Tiger, I don't need to be scared or act like a cat to use it. Heck, I'm not scared of cats period! I even got some cool powers too! How about you? Are you…?" 

B-Ranma shook his head. "It doesn't really matter since I'm blind. I may not have the Cat Fist, but thanks to Master Koga and the Amazons, I can take care of myself." B-Ranma's senses picked up Kojiro's apprehension when he said the word 'Amazons.' Keeping Kojiro's story and his encounters with the female warriors in mind, he said in an understanding tone, "Hey, I know that in your world, the Amazons may be a little intense but, they're really not all that bad. Sure they might do things with gusto, but that just makes them unique. I have a lot of friends in the Joketsuzoku and Shampoo is the best cousin that a guy could ask for. And you have to admit, a lot of them are really pretty and damned good fighters to boot." 

Kojiro let off a quiet noise that sounded like a muffled snarl. 

T-Ranma could see the tension between the two and put a stop to it by changing the subject. "Ranma… it is possible that I can restore your sight." 

This immediately caught the blind martial artist's attention. "What are you talking about? The doctors had told me that my eyesight was permanently gone. There's nothing that you can do that they, nor the village healers couldn't do." 

"On the contrary, my scanners have already analyzed your condition and it is possible for me to telephase a few of my nanites and regenerate your optic nerves. The science that gave me my powers happens to be centuries ahead of modern Earth technology. It would only take about a minute." The nanotech soldier reached out to touch B-Ranma's temple. In a flash, B-Ranma grabbed his counterpart's wrist with a hand and then slowly shook his head. 

"Hey! What are you doing?" Kojiro asked. 

"Do you not wish to see again?" D-Ranma asked. "I can use my magic to heal your eyes as well." 

B-Ranma gave a long and saddened sigh as he waved off T-Ranma's hand. "It's tempting… it's so very tempting. I would like to enjoy watching a sunset or to see the colors of a rainbow. And it would be nice to find out if Shampoo is as pretty as my fingers tell me. But…" 

"But what?" The other three said at the same time. 

"But if I were to regain my sight, then it would make all that I had learned under Koga and the Amazons seem pointless. I have already found great joy in the Unseen Light and I can SEE things in ways that no one else can! In many cases, my blindness gives me a better advantage over my opponents. The experiences I have had in coping with my blindness, has made me understand that the world does not end when it goes dark. Regaining my sight would be like forgetting the lessons I've learned. Besides, there are some things that I have encountered that made me grateful that I couldn't see. I don't have to look at Kuno's stupid face or see that stupid Panda and his crazy ideas." 

"Heh. Now there's a couple of things I can understand!" Kojiro agreed. 

"You have a point there." D-Ranma concurred. "My father may not be a Panda but I've already learned that any idea of his is never a good one! I guess that's the reason why I said no to his plan to unite the Anything Goes School with the Tendos." 

"Good! Take it from us, you're better off never fulfilling that stupid pledge!" Kojiro said as B-Ranma nodded his head. 

D-Ranma continued as he said, "It was bad enough when my mother told me about all those other engagements. When I learned that Ukyo was really a girl, I was ready to toss Pop into an active volcano for stealing her yattai."

"What a second. What did you just say? Ukyo was a girl?" B-Ranma took on a confused look. 

"You didn't know?" Both D-Ranma and Kojiro turned their heads to their blind counterpart who was shaking his head. They each told him about how they had discovered the truth about the gender of their childhood friend. When they finished with their explanations, the Amazon healer and warrior shook with disbelief and anger. 

"Why that lying bastard! He told me that the yattai was a GIFT!" 

Kojiro nodded in agreement as he said, "Yeah, that's what we all thought but we were just as mad when we found out too. At least in my world, Ucchan and I are doing great. She's grown up and I got to say, she's gotten really… cute." A tinge of red appeared on his cheeks. 

This was not lost on D-Ranma, T-Ranma or B-Ranma as the blind boy measured the sudden flush in his face. "Oh? And what's going on between you and Ucchan, eh?" All three had grins on their faces. 

"We're… kinda… sorta… dating." The Neko Ken fighter said the last word in a bare whisper, which was still clearly picked up by the enhanced hearing of the other three. 

"We heard that." The three Ranmas chorused, making the Cat Fist martial artist blush even further. 

"Aw shut up!" 

T-Ranma sighed as he said, "Well at least you three have the memories of your past. I can't remember anything beyond six years ago." 

D-Ranma considered his nanotech counterpart, then said, "I might be able to help you with that." 

"What do you mean?" 

The dragon warrior held up hands, one over the other and palms facing each other. He began silently chanting in a tongue that was not human. Instantly, a small ball of white light appeared between his hands. He then lowered his hands away and the sphere floated in midair for a moment before floating up toward T-Ranma's head. 

The futuristic Ranma backed away a bit at the sphere as his scanners began analyzing the energy contained within it. Throughout his travels through the cosmos, he had encountered beings that used magic and they always unnerved him. 

"What is that?" He asked as the ball hovered before him. 

"It's just a simple lore spell." D-Ranma explained. "Right now, I can sense that something is resisting the spell's attempts to probe into your mind. It's probably those little machines inside of you. Is there any way you can do to make them lower their guard? I promise you that it will not hurt." 

T-Ranma considered his mystical opposite, before nodding and mentally ordering his nanites to temporarily disable their shielding programs. A moment later he said, "Barriers are down. Scan all you like, but you won't find anything past the six I have been active. The nanites have told me that isn't a trace of electrochemical data about my past in any of my memory cells." 

"Physical data, no" D-Ranma agreed. "However, psychic impressions of memories can linger on for one's entire lifetime. Hold on a moment." The student of Sojan made a small hand gesture and then the ball of light became translucent as the energies swirled and danced within its confines. Then suddenly, the ball flared and began showing pictures of T-Ranma's childhood. Kojiro became entranced by the images and B-Ranma became astounded as D-Ranma mentally projected the pictures into the Unseen Light fighter's mind. T-Ranma was the most emotionally affected as each and every memory was brought to the fore and then stored. 

A few minutes later, the light winked out, having completed its task. T-Ranma was shaken to the core as the last of his lost memories flashed through his mind. 

"I… never believed that Pop would be THAT stupid!" Kojiro remarked. 

"And I thought my Cat Fist training left me in the worst shape." D-Ranma added. 

"How could he have done that to you?" B-Ranma said in shock. 

T-Ranma was rendered speechless. The horror of being torn to shreds by lions as his father tossed him into that cage almost drove him to the point of madness. Though his mind tried to deny what was shown to him, but in his heart, he knew that it was true. His nanites were already verifying the authenticity of the memories and the nanotech warrior was in full agreement with his dimensional doubles. Genma WAS an idiot. 

The four Ranmas talked late into the night, discussing the similarities and differences between their lives. Though each had taken a different path, they could all agree on one thing. Their lives had taken a turn for the better when they had gotten away from Genma. By the time it was morning, a kind of brotherly kinship formed between the different, yet strangely similar martial artists as they now began discussing their current predicament and how to return to their worlds. 

Early the next day… 

"Okay guys, here's where our main problems lie." T-Ranma began as he opened up a panel near the rear of the ship. The device was about two feet in height and shaped like a technological pyramid. It had a squat base and had two rectangular structures mounted on it. The topmost structure was smaller and tapered off into a blunt point. On its upper surface, at its center was a small, ruby-colored gem that was held by four metallic projections and had various cables running from those arms and into the base. 

"This is the quantum-phase drive." T-Ranma explained. "This is what allows the ship to achieve faster-than-light speeds by creating a hyperspace bypass. See that crystal on top? That's kerium. That is what the drive uses to create the quantum fields needed to phase into hyperspace without warping the space-time continuum. Now here's what I think happened to us. My ship had encountered some kind of gravimetric disturbance just when I activated the drive system. As a result, I was thrown into a dimensional vortex where different universes intersected. I'm not sure how the three of you ended up in the same place, but somehow, you were transported onto my ship just as I reengaged the drive to get back into real space. However, we were swept into a nexus and then ended up here in this reality. The way I figure it, it is possible to duplicate that disturbance and use the quantum-phase drive to shift us back into that dimensional nexus. From there we can ride the space-time streams until we can find our own universes." 

"So what are the problems?" Kojiro asked. "I'm not sure about that technical stuff, but it sounds like you have it all figured out." 

"First of all is that kerium." The nanotech warrior pointed to the gem. "The strain of blasting us out of that dimensional vortex was too much for it. It went and permanently decrystalized into its inert and useless form. It's supposed to be white but as you can see it's now red. We can't create any quantum fields with enough power to make even one jump. It has to be replaced, but the problem is that it's very rare and my ship's scanners tell me that there isn't very much on this world. First thing for us to do is to get more kerium. The main reactor will provide us with all the power we need, but without that hunk of kerium, we'd have no way of escaping from this universe. Fortunately, we don't need that much. A crystal the size of this one should be enough." 

"All right. So all we have to do is get some more of this kerium. What's are other problems?" B-Ranma asked. 

"The second problem is that even if we are able to get back into that dimensional vortex, finding our home universes would be like looking for four needles in a haystack. My navigational systems had gotten fried when we crashed here and the coordinates to our entrance points in that vortex were lost. Furthermore, the quantum-phase drive's energy catalyzer also took a hit. I don't have the necessary replacement parts. That's what I was about to get before this whole mess started. Without a working catalyzer, every time we use the drive, it would take at least a week for the kerium to build up enough quantum-phasic ions for another dimensional jump." 

"So what you're saying is that not only do we have to search god knows how many universes, but we also got to wait a week each time we enter a different world, before moving onto the next." Kojiro summarized. 

"That's about the size of it." 

"Can't you use those nanite things of yours to fix that machine?" B-Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma shook his head. "No. The catalyzer is made up of rare metals that my nanites can't duplicate. My ship's synthesizers can't create it either. I wouldn't have GONE looking for replacement parts if I could already make it myself." 

"Oh this is just peachy." D-Ranma said with a long and tired sigh. 

"Well, first thing on the agenda is to get that kerium. We'll worry about dimension hopping later. Now follow me. I have some things to show you." 

The three other Ranmas followed their technological counterpart to the pilot's cabin. A few moments later, they were all huddled near the main viewscreen as it flashed various images as T-Ranma explained them. 

"During the night, I sent a few scouting probes to make an extensive sweep and gather information about this world we're on. Basically, this place is similar to what Europe was like during the Middle Ages. Magic is dominant over science. The human race does exist but so do various other species as well. We're talking about the usual creatures of myth and legend; goblins, gargoyles, trolls, ogres, elves, demons, fairies…" T-Ranma paused to look at D-Ranma. "And yes… even dragons." 

D-Ranma smirked a bit. This was starting to feel like the Dragon World he had lived in for a decade. He could fit in here quite nicely. 

"Political governments are along the lines of the feudal system. Kings, queens, nobles and so on. Martial arts is pretty much unknown here, but don't underestimate their combat skills. My scouts have detected some high levels of mystic energies and they do have quite few skilled weapon users out there. I've had some run-ins with magic before during my travels, and it can be just as potent as science and ki." 

"So where do we start?" Kojiro asked. 

By late afternoon, the four had exited the ship and were ready to start their search for the element they needed to get back to their worlds. Before setting out to the nearest town, T-Ranma handed each of them a device that looked like a pocket calculator, and a small, circular pin. 

"Here. These are microcom pins that will allow you to keep in contact with each other and the ship. They also contain a tracking device in case any of us get separated." He then held up one of the other devices. "Each of you will have a compuguide. Each contains the basic data about this world as well as a built-in energy analyzer to help you locate any kerium. This device can also store any new data that you encounter." 

Kojiro smirked as he looked down at the pin. He then jokingly said, "Beam me up Geordi!" 

"Who?" T-Ranma asked. 

"Never mind. It's just something I saw on a gaijin show once." 

T-Ranma shook his head and said a stern voice, "I assure you that this isn't a joke. We're here to find the kerium and get back to our home dimensions." 

Kojiro nodded as he took on a more serious expression. 

"Okay." T-Ranma took a step back and appraised the appearance of the group. B-Ranma was dressed simply in black silk pants, Kung Fu sandals and a red Chinese-style shirt. In one hand, he had his battle staff, already extended to its usual length of five feet. D-Ranma had ordered the ship's synthesizer to create a copy of the outfit that he had been wearing when he returned to his Earth. This included black, loosely-fitting pants, soft leather boots, and a white shirt with flowing sleeves that cut off halfway down his forearms. The front had a red dragon emblem etched in red thread on the left side of the chest. On his side was his katana, Crimson Fang, which was in a black scabbard, mounted on a belt. Kojiro had opted to wear the same outfit as B-Ranma but had taken on a black shirt to avoid confusion. 

T-Ranma nodded as he thought that they would be able to bend in without arousing suspicion. He then gave the mental command for his cyberweave body suit to alter its appearance. The fibers began to reshape themselves and in less than a few seconds, the nanotech soldier was decked out in black breeches, dark brown leather boots, a gray tunic and a simplified version of his usual leather jacket. The fabric resembled silk, rather than leather and instead of a zipper, the front had silver clasps. 

D-Ranma and Kojiro's eyes widened at the sight then shook it off as they had already seen other technological wonders. With a simultaneous nod to each other, the intrepid four set out to explore this strange world. Behind them, their spacecraft disappeared as its cloaking device was engaged, rendering it totally invisible to any prying eyes. 

Sometime later, the four arrived at a relatively large town near the foot of a mountain. The streets were bustling with people as shopkeepers and vendors peddled their wares. With all the masses, the four identical Ranmas weren't given any more notice than the occasional passing glance. The group began to make their way through the crowds and towards the center of the urban area. When they came to a large fountain, they decided to stop and plan. 

"Okay. If we split up, we'll able to get more information and blend in better while we search for that kerium." T-Ranma said. 

"I agree." B-Ranma nodded. "This is a pretty big town. How about this? I'll go with Kojiro and head that way." The blind Amazon pointed to a densely populated area. 

"All right. We'll go the other way." D-Ranma agreed as he led T-Ranma down another street. 

Kojiro waved back to the departing pair. "We'll meet back at this fountain at around sundown, okay?" 

"Check." T-Ranma waved. 

Meanwhile, who should be entering the same town from another side but Lina Inverse and her party? As usual, Lina's first priority was to fill that bottomless pit that she referred to as her stomach. Also as usual, there was a disagreement as to where to eat. Lina wanted beef, but Amelia wanted mutton. There was a lot of shouting, as each girl tried to convince the rest of the group of where to go for dinner. Eventually, Amelia and Zelgadis decided to go to the restaurant that served a very rich mutton stew, while Lina and Gourry headed for the nearest barbecue joint. As for the soft-spoken Sylphiel, she had decided that she wasn't very hungry and instead offered to book some rooms for their party. The two groups went their separate ways and agreed to meet back with the white priestess at a nearby hotel later. 

On the west side of town… 

"Man! I'm starving! We haven't eaten anything since we got here!" Kojiro complained as he rubbed his empty and growling stomach. It was then that his sensitive nose caught the whiff of something delightful. 

B-Ranma nodded as he too was starting to feel hungry. His nose was just as attuned to odors as his Neko Ken counterpart. He turned toward the direction of the smell. Looking for kerium could wait, at least until after they were full. Fortunately, T-Ranma had given them all pouches of gold coins and precious gems to barter with. His spacecraft could easily manufacture jewels and precious metals, so money was not a problem. After verifying that there wasn't any kerium in their immediate area, the two decided to stop for dinner at a nearby restaurant that advertised a mutton stew. As they sat down and ordered bowls of the stew, they both noticed two very interesting people enter the establishment. 

The girl appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen and was very developed for her age. She had shoulder-length dark hair and was wearing a cute white and pink outfit, complete with cape. However, it wasn't her appearance that caught the blind fighter's attention. It was the aura of magic that put his enhanced senses on alert. He could feel a strong, yet somewhat unfocused field of energy around her. It was the unmistakable essence of magic, similar to what he had felt at Jusenkyo, but was far more potent. He could discern a happy and carefree presence in the girl, but he also felt a sense of overwhelming pride and some lack of self-control. 

Kojiro also noticed the strangers as he and his companion starting eating. The girl wasn't really all that interesting, but the man she came in with caught his attention. He was quite a sight as he looked like he had a skin of stone. His hair was a pale mauve and seemed to be metallic. He had several rocky projections on his face and hands. The Neko Ken martial artist wondered if the rest of his body was like that as he looked at the drab outfit he wore. 

Both Ranmas watched the two for a few moments more, then shrugged and went back to eating. 

On the east side of town… 

Like their dimensional opposites, T-Ranma and D-Ranma had decided to stop to eat. Both were secretly hiding their power levels to keep from being detected by anyone who was probing the area. After entering a barbecue establishment, they each ordered a huge side of ribs and was almost finished when both noticed a couple sit nearby. 

"Hey waiter! Give me everything from here to here!" Lina indicated with her finger on a menu. 

The server's eyes bulged out when he saw the huge order he had been given. Then his eyes bugged out even more when Gourry indicated several dishes and asked for triple portions. 

When the waiter and a couple of his coworkers arrived with huge platters of steaks, ribs and other barbecued items, both Ranmas were quite surprised to see the two gobble down their food like a school of piranhas. 

*That girl is putting away more food than a Dramekian Sandshark could! How could she be so thin? * On a whim, the nanotech warrior decided to focus his scanners on the girl and get an estimation on her power. Keeping his scan to a very low and undetectable level, he began his probe. What he found was alarming. 

(* Power level currently at 55,000. Magical energies rated at Class A level. Threat to host would be considerable. Exercise extreme caution. *) 

D-Ranma had instantly noticed Lina Inverse the moment she walked in. He too could sense the raw potential within her as well as something else that he found distasteful. She had spilled the blood of dragons. He could feel the trace amounts of essences of those she had slain still floating about her. Though he did not know the circumstances of why she had killed those dragons, the young dragon warrior felt a bit uneasy sitting next to a human who had the power to slay one of nature's most powerful creatures. This dislike was natural since dragons had raised him. Shaking his head to clear it, he decided to ignore the sorceress and her swordsman associate and went back to finishing his meal. Though he couldn't help but notice that there seemed to be a strange, hidden power that was being emanated from Gourry's sword. 

A while later, the two other-dimensional visitors exited the restaurant and were about to continue their search for kerium, when they noticed two unsavory people were skulking around the alley next to the barbecue place. One of those men was a bandit leader who had a score to settle with the so-called Bandit-killer and her not so bright mercenary friend. Beside him was his second-in-command. Both Ranmas began to catch a whispered conversation with their enhanced hearing. 

"Are you sure she's in there?" The second asked. 

"Yeah, I'm positive! That was Lina Inverse all right!" The leader of the gang is a scruffy-looking fellow with an eyepatch. "No way I could ever forget that little flat-chested witch! She was the one who destroyed my old gang, the Dragon Fangs, over a year ago. I thought that I'd never be able to get my revenge on her and that swordsman for humiliating me, but now is my chance!" 

"But boss! If she's really as powerful as people say she is, then how are WE going to beat her?" 

"Don't worry. I've got this!" The bandit leader took out a metallic ring out of his cloak and held it up. "This little trinket cost me a lot but it was worth the trouble! I stole this from a wizard's laboratory. It's a magical inhibitor and it'll keep her from using any spells. Every time she tries to use her magic, she'll feel intense pain! It's a lot more powerful than any other magical inhibitor, and I also got a few other items to take care of her and that moron mercenary she's with." 

"Yeah, well…" The other bandit was still a little worried. 

"Come on! This is our chance to make our gang the most feared in the world! Do you realize how famous the Really, Really Not-So-Nice Gang would be if we took down Lina Inverse?" 

The bandit leader's companion had to nod at that and said, "Okay Boss. So are we going in there?" 

The leader shook his head and said, "Nah! It's too crowded. I had one of others follow that white priestess friend of theirs and I know where they're staying. We'll sneak up on them while they're asleep and slip the inhibitor on her head. Between the fifty of us, we shouldn't have any problems! Then after we take care of her friends, Lina Inverse is going to get a one-way ticket straight to Hell!" 

"Sounds like a plan!" 

"Heh! Lina Inverse the Bandit-killer, prepare to become Lina Inverse the Bandit-killed! Courtesy of the Really, Really Not-So-Nice Gang!" 

As the bandit followed his leader into the shadows, he shook his head and thought, *We really got to get a better name for our gang! * 

A short distance away, T-Ranma and D-Ranma looked at each other. 

"I take it that girl we saw in that restaurant is this Lina Inverse they were talking about." T-Ranma said. 

D-Ranma nodded. "Couldn't be anyone else. She was the only source of high magic that I could sense, aside from that sword her friend carried." 

"You know that this isn't any of our business." 

"Yeah, but can we just walk away after hearing all that?" 

"Nope, we have to stop them." 

"Right. Let's go! Fifty bandits shouldn't take more than a minute. We can save this Lina Inverse and still make it back on time to join the others." 

The two broke out into a run. 

Sometime later, the masters of the Neko Ken and the Unseen Light arrived at the meeting place just as the sun had reached the horizon. The crowds had thinned out considerably and the two had a good view of the area as they waited for their counterparts to return. As they waited, the two engaged in quiet conversation, exchanging more information about their separate lives. 

Eventually, the last rays of the sun faded from view. As night fell upon them and the streets became deserted, they began to wonder where the technological and dragon Ranma were. 

"It's getting late. I wonder where they are?" 

Kojiro shrugged. "I don't know. They promised to meet us at sunset, but they're still not here. Do you think we should go look for them?" 

"That's a good idea, except for one thing. Where do we start looking?" 

As if on cue, a huge explosion was heard echoing in the distance. Both Ranmas turned their heads to the sound and Kojiro saw huge columns of smoke appear in the distance. 

"Call me crazy, but I think that's where we should start." 

B-Ranma nodded as the two leapt to the top of a nearby building and then started running across rooftops. Knowing that he could get there faster on all fours, Kojiro called out to his blind counterpart. "Get on my back!" The Neko Ken warrior focused his inner energies and in a flash of red energy, he morphed into a huge saber-toothed tiger. 

B-Ranma was more than surprised when his sixth and seventh senses picked up the transformation. The radar image of the two-legged Cat Fist fighter had now become a four-legged feline that was the size of a Buick. He also sensed the power of Jusenkyo at work and then remembered the story that he had been told of Kojiro's origins. Realizing that this creature was in fact his friend, he hopped onto the feline's back and held onto the hairs on the tiger's neck as Kojiro got the lead out. 

The blind fighter was a bit unnerved at being so close to such a fierce predator and he shivered a bit as he remembered his own experience with the Neko Ken. *It's just as well that I can't see him! * Though B-Ranma did not have the irrational fear of cats like Kojiro once had, he was still very uncomfortable whenever he was around anything feline. However, even with Kojiro in his larger and more vicious form, B-Ranma could still sense the brave and fighting spirit of his otherworldly double and this was comforting. He held on with one hand while reaching behind his back to retrieve his battle staff. Extending it to its usual length of five feet, the blind fighter steeled himself for the imminent confrontation. 

Meanwhile… 

"DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!" 

"FIREBALL!" 

"ELMIKION LANCE!" 

"FLARE ARROW!" 

D-Ranma was standing with one arm held up with his hand spread. In front of his palm was a huge, green, and translucent disk of light. To the surprise of both Lina and Amelia, their mystical attacks were stopped cold when they hit that barrier. Lina's fireball was dispersed when it impacted into the shield while Amelia's energy bolt was reflected back at her. The princess of Sailoon yelped as she ducked out of the way of her own attack. The blast from their white priestess friend had virtually no effect. D-Ranma wondered why her attack was in the shape of a carrot. It didn't even touch his barrier before it winked out harmlessly. 

"Geez Sylphiel! Haven't you gotten the hang of that spell yet?!" Lina whined. 

Sylphiel could only shrug and give an embarrassed smile. 

As the female magic users were getting set to attack again, their male companions were trying hard to bring down the dragon Ranma's technodouble. Zelgadis and Gourry had just barely drawn their swords, when T-Ranma suddenly rushed forward at supersonic speed and gave them each a light swat with an arm. At the velocity he was going, it was the same as being hit by a car. Luckily, the nanotech soldier only used enough force to knock them down; knowing that Gourry's armor and Zelgadis' tough skin would protect them. 

The Chimeran magician managed to hold onto his sword, but Gourry's was sent flying high into the air. T-Ranma looked up at the weapon and pointed a finger at it. 

*Laser. * 

He fired off a beam of superheated light at the blade and slagged the tempered steel in an instant. The seemingly ruined weapon clattered to the ground in front of a shocked Gourry. 

Zelgadis' eyes widened at what he had just witnessed. *What kind of spell was that?! And how did he move so fast?! * The wizard/swordsman had not detected any magic and had not sensed any invoking of spirits. Their opponent had just pointed and fired off a beam of energy, then blurred forward. 

Gourry got over his momentary shock and dove for his weapon. T-Ranma was a bit puzzled as to why the blond swordsman was picking up a useless weapon. When Gourry pulled out a small needle and pressed a hidden switch on the hilt, the nanotech warrior knew that something was up. 

"LIGHT COME FORTH!" 

The melted blade of the sword fell off and a shining blade of pure energy emerged. 

T-Ranma's biocomputer began analyzing this new development. (*Energy blade's destructive power equivalent to a mega-charged electrodisrupter rapier. Evade!!! *) 

In the other battle, Lina and Amelia were getting nowhere with D-Ranma. No matter what spell they used, the dragon warrior would either dodge them or use his Dragon Scale Defense spell to block them. He made no offensive moves toward them, as he really didn't want to hurt them. He just couldn't believe how a simple misunderstanding could get so out of control. 

Flashback… 

T-Ranma and D-Ranma had been waiting outside the inn where Lina and her party had been staying. After following the two bandits, the identical Ranmas had decided to wait until all the bandits had arrived so that they could take them all out at once, instead of one at a time. By the time it was nightfall, all fifty members of the Really, Really Not-So-Nice Gang had arrived and were huddled near the back of the inn, preparing to scale the wall and sneak into the rooms where the sorceress and her friends were sleeping. Their leader triumphantly held up the magical inhibitor aloft as he got to the top of the roof. The others were about to follow their leader when the two Ranmas decided to make their move. 

The two crept stealthily behind the gang as they began making their way up the grappling lines and the trees that were near the building. The brigands had no idea that they were now being targeted. Their leader was too busy moving up and down the roof, trying to discern which room was Lina's, that he didn't notice that his cronies were being knocked into la-la land by two very talented martial artists. Each thug was picked off and sent into unconsciousness before they realized what was happening. In less than a minute, forty-nine members of the Really, Really, Not-So-Nice Gang were sprawled in a heap at the foot of a large tree near the inn. 

The leader smiled as he bent over the edge of the roof and saw the object of his hate through an open window. Lina Inverse was snoring loudly and occasionally mumbling in her sleep. Amelia and Sylphiel were asleep in another bed a few feet away. The bandit then stood up and turned to signal to his cohorts. That's when he found himself facing off against a futuristic soldier and a dragon-powered swordsman. 

"Huh? Who the hell are you two?" He then began to frantically look for his gang. "Where are my men?" 

D-Ranma gestured with a thumb at the pile of thugs near a tree. T-Ranma raised a hand and said, "I'll take that now." *Gravity field inducer. * 

The nanites began emitting a wave of gravity that plucked the magical inhibitor out of the bandit leader's hand, causing it to fly into techno-warrior's hand. T-Ranma twirled the circlet on his index finger before he tossed it to his counterpart to hold. He and his double began advancing on the now frightened bandit, who drew his sword and took a few steps back. 

"S-S-Stay back! I'm warning you!" 

Both Ranmas gave off a snort. That plain steel sword would be as effective against them as a toothpick. It was then that they stepped on a weak spot in the roof. That section had been steadily rotting away from the several days of continuous rain that had occurred a week ago. The innkeeper had been meaning to fix that part of the roof, but had not found the time. 

Both Ranmas stopped when they heard an ominous creaking noise. It was then that they fell forward as that weakened part of the roof gave way under their combined weight. 

**CRASH!**

The two fell through and landed in… yes, you guessed it, the girls' room. 

The red-haired sorceress and her companions awoke with a start when debris came crashing down. It was then that two bodies came through the hole in their ceiling. One body landed with a thud beside Lina's bed. The second landed on top of Lina, causing her to be driven into her bed. She then let off a scream when she felt a hand grab onto one of her small breasts. 

"EEEKKKK!!!!" 

D-Ranma had been caught off guard when the roof had caved in. There had been no time to engage his flight ability and he had reflexively grabbed at anything to stop him from falling. Unfortunately, his choice of handholds couldn't have been worse. When he looked down at what his hand was pressing against, his face turned a bright red. He also noticed that the nightgown had a large rip in it and he could see… 

He slowly looked up and saw the true horror of a Lina Inverse at her absolute worse. He had seen Viperdragons that looked friendlier. As T-Ranma was just starting to get up, the dragon fighter quickly got out of the bed and onto his feet, covering his eyes with a hand and tried to apologize before things got worse. Unfortunately, his mouth moved faster than his brain. 

"I'm sorry! We didn't mean to drop in like this! I-I-I didn't see a thing!" 

T-Ranma knew that his friend had said the wrong thing when Lina exploded. His three counterparts were all younger than he was and didn't have as much experience when it came to being tactful toward females, especially in embarrassing situations such as this. 

"WHY YOU…!!!!" 

"Miss Lina! He's was going to put a magical inhibitor on you, then ravage you!" Amelia pointed to the circle that was still in D-Ranma's hand. Sylphiel gasped when she saw it. 

The dragon warrior looked down at the circle then started waving his hand frantically. "No! This wasn't our idea! We had nothing to do with this! We just fell through the roof and I landed flat on your chest and…" 

The sorceress was so steamed at being groped that she only heard the words 'flat' and 'chest.' It was at that time that Lina lost it. 

"FIREBALL!" 

End of flashback… 

As of now, both Ranmas had been holding their own against a very short-tempered sorceress and her companions. They had been trying to get a word in edgewise, but the red-haired Bandit-killer was on a full head of steam and showed no signs of stopping. Once Zelgadis and Gourry had joined the fray, things went totally out of control. 

Gourry slashed again and again at his agile foe, but to no avail. T-Ranma was just moving way too fast for the blonde swordsman to come close. Zelgadis had been firing off spells to try and slow the techno-martial artist down but he too wasn't connecting. 

T-Ranma dodged again and again, not fighting back, as he knew that Gourry and Zelgadis would never be able to survive if he attacked. However, he was beginning to get annoyed at their attempts. The constant slashing from Gourry reminded him of that idiot Kuno from his world. With Zelgadis trying to nail him with Fireballs, Elmikion Lances, Flare and Freeze Arrows, the nanotech warrior was getting ticked off. 

As T-Ranma continued to dodge, D-Ranma had decided to take the offensive. He began focusing his ki as Lina and Amelia launched two spells simultaneously. 

"FIREBALL!" Both girls shouted as they shot a pair of huge projectiles at him. 

"DRAGON FIRE!" 

The two fireballs collided with the huge, blazing stream of D-Ranma's. However, instead of a huge explosion like Lina and Amelia expected, the fireballs were enveloped into the stream like two droplets in a river. The sorceresses had to duck for cover as the blast rocketed toward them. Both girls yelped as their posteriors were slightly singed when the flames passed over them. 

"YOW! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT! HOT!" Amelia was frantically running about as the seat of her pants was smoking. She then spotted a nearby fountain and then sat her bottom into the cool waters. Steam rose from the fountain and Amelia let off a sigh of relief. 

Lina was patting her rear to put the fire out, and then glared at the person who had burned her butt. 

D-Ranma merely smirked as said, "Well, now are you ready to listen?" 

"NO! FREEZE ARROW!" 

With the fight between T-Ranma, Gourry and Zelgadis… 

"FIREBALL!" 

A huge blast of fire magic came streaking at him and T-Ranma decided that enough was enough. Focusing his ki into his right arm he made a casual wave and swatted away the Zelgadis' fireball as if were a beach ball. The attack went streaking off into the heavens, leaving a stunned Zelgadis staring up where his attack was deflected. 

*Beam Saber! * 

T-Ranma held out a hand and a metal cylinder appeared. He then gripped it in both hands and mentally activated it, setting the power levels to full. From one end of cylinder, a shaft of blue-white light appeared and formed an energy blade that was a meter in length. 

"Huh?" Every one else's expression mirrored Gourry's surprise as they saw a technological version of the Sword of Light. 

T-Ranma charged forward and slashed at Gourry's blade. The two energy swords collided and sparks went flying as they clashed. The techno-Ranma then began using sword techniques at speeds so fast; his blade became a series of blurred light. He pumped up the saber's energy to maximum in order to counter the Sword of Light. He knew that his weapon wouldn't hold long against Gourry's, but if he could keep him from attacking with it, he might be able to take him out. 

Gourry found himself hard-pressed to parry his opponent's blade as he was moving with unbelievable speed and grace. Though his peers considered him an expert swordsman, T-Ranma clearly had an advantage over him as he had picked up several hundred different swordfighting styles from many alien worlds. He had also mastered all the sword techniques from his Earth. 

Gourry was unable to bring the full power of the Sword of Light to bear on his foe as he didn't give him any opportunity to counter, keeping the blonde mercenary on the defensive. Then he found himself overwhelmed as T-Ranma let loose with an unbelievable staccato strike that made Kuno's technique seem plodding. 

"Whoa!" Gourry had never encountered an adversary that could handle a sword like this! Then his blood turned cold as T-Ranma used his weapon to knock the Sword of Light out of Gourry's hands. The energy blade fizzled out as it lost contact with its user. The mystic weapon clattered to the ground and Gourry found himself staring down the Beam Saber's blade as T-Ranma leveled it at his chest. 

"Gourry!" Sylphiel shouted out. 

Her shout caught the attention of the Lina and Amelia as they temporarily halted in their battle with D-Ranma. 

T-Ranma was at a bit of a loss as he had Gourry at his mercy. One thrust was all it would take. The mercenary's body armor would be no protection against the Beam Saber's blade. He was still considering what to do when his he heard something approaching him from behind. 

"YAAAAAAAHHH!!!" 

Zelgadis leapt up with his sword held high, intent on cleaving T-Ranma's skull from behind. It was at that moment that a shout was heard. 

"RAGING TIGER BOLT!" 

Zelgadis was knocked to the side as an oval-shaped blast of energy slammed into him. The stone-faced magician went sprawling and landed several meters away. He landed painfully on his back and lay there for several moments before slowly getting back to his feet. He looked up with the rest of his group to see two figures leap down from the roof of a nearby building and take up positions behind T-Ranma. 

T-Ranma had let his attention waver when he heard the shout, and Gourry dove down to retrieve the Sword of Light, then roll away to get more fighting room. When he got to his feet and ignited his weapon, his eyes widened as he saw whom the newcomers were. 

Lina, Amelia, Zelgadis and Sylphiel all looked in the same direction and thought they were seeing quadruple. They had believed they had been fighting against twins, but now they were facing off against four of a kind! 

B-Ranma and Kojiro took their positions alongside T-Ranma and D-Ranma and the two groups faced off. Things were about to get even messier. 

To be continued… 

Author's Notes

Whoa! That was a long haul! Next episode will have the conclusion to this battle and the further adventures of our dimension-hopping foursome in the Slayers Universe. We will also meet up with more characters from the Slayers cast as well as see some more interactions between the four Ranmas.


	3. Chapter 2

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: The four Ranmas were my ideas, which were based on the creation of the great Rumiko Takahashi. All other characters mentioned in this story belong to their respective creators. 

**Last episode:** Due to a big mishap in four universes, the Skuld of each reality had accidentally sent the Ranma Saotome of their dimensions into another universe altogether. The four Ranmas have now gotten acquainted with each other and certain secrets of their respective pasts have been revealed. As of now, they are searching the Slayers world to find a special element they need to get back to their home dimensions. However, T-Ranma and D-Ranma had overheard a plot to kill the sorceress Lina Inverse and had decided to stop it. Unfortunately, this led to one gross misunderstanding… 

Italic: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech. 

D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child 

B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury 

**Chapter 2 **

Battle's End and the Search Goes On! 

**KABOOM!**

Many of the citizens of the town were startled out of their slumber at the sound of the huge explosion. They began rushing toward their windows and saw the fireworks being displayed near the edge of the town's limits. They were all wondering what was causing the commotion and when the local law enforcement was going to respond. 

Meanwhile, at the scene of the carnage, the leader of the Really, Really, Not-So-Nice Gang hid behind a tree and watched in awe at the carnage being wrought. He could have run with the others when the mayhem broke out, but instead decided to stay behind and watch for any opportunity to get his revenge on Lina Inverse, who was currently battling it out with the one kind of magic she had never encountered before: technology. 

"FIREBALL!" 

_Cryogenic beam!_

(*Affirmative. *) 

A blue-white beam of intense cold shot out from T-Ranma's palm. The beam struck Lina's projectile dead-on and caused it to fizzle out. It kept on going and the red-haired sorceress yelped in surprise as she barely managed to duck out of the way. The blast struck an abandoned building and coated it in a thick sheet of ice in less than two seconds! 

Lina blanched at the sight. _Holy! What the hell was that? That was more powerful than a hundred Freeze Arrow spells! I didn't even hear him say the attack! What kind of magic is this guy using?_

T-Ranma lowered his hand and said in a clam voice, "Now are you ready to listen?" 

"NO! ELMIKION LANCE!" 

The nanotech Ranma winced as he braced himself. With the arrival of his other two dimensional counterparts, the situation spun even more out of control. Thinking that they were here to attack them, Lina and their friends reacted in their usual ways of fight first and ask questions later. No one had been able to get a sane word in since then. As of now, each Ranma had gotten into their own separate battles with a member of Lina's party. T-Ranma had drawn the proverbial short straw and now super-science was mixing it up with the strongest powers of black magic and shamanism. 

"RIPCLAW SLASH!" 

Zelgadis bit down to suppress a scream of pain as Kojiro's claws actually tore through his stone skin. He jumped back to get some more fighting room and looked down at his flank. His eyes widened as he saw that the skin of a golem had proven to be no protection against the ki-powered strikes of the Cat Fist. Bits of stone were crumbling off the jagged gash and he could see his blood seeping through the open wound. 

Looking back up to his opponent, who had shifted to his hybrid form when the fighting broke out, the Chimeran man wondered if he was facing off against a werebeast. Zelgadis had drawn his sword and tried attacking with it, since his blade contained some silver in it. Unfortunately, Kojiro proved to be far too agile and evaded each of Zelgadis' strikes. He continued to slash, kick and punch at the magician/warrior, using advanced fighting techniques that this world had never even dreamed of. Whatever magical attacks Zelgadis tried to use would be either evaded or countered with those strange energies of his. Zelgadis didn't want to use his more destructive spells in the town, but his foe clearly had an advantage in close-quarters combat. He was sorely tempted to use his Ra Tilt, but Kojiro was moving too fast and the injuries he had sustained so far were starting to add up. 

"RUNE FLARE!" 

Kojiro did a multiple somersault followed by a fancy evasion pattern to avoid the spears of fiery energy that his opponent started throwing. He then retaliated with his own. 

"CAT'S EYE BEAMS!" 

If there was one thing that was constant in any universe, it was that energy was energy, whether it was created by science, sorcery or generated from one's own ki. The blazing hot beams fired out and were just barely stopped when Zelgadis managed to summon up a barrier. Unfortunately, the wounds from Kojiro's previous attacks had taken their toll and Zeldgadis began to falter. His shield shimmered when the beams struck, then the Neko Ken fighter upped the ante by firing a double-dose of ki blasts. 

"RAGING TIGER BOLT! CRESCENT SLASH!" 

Firing off an oval shaped projectile, followed by a moon-shaped one shattered Zelgadis' protective shield and he had no time to counter as Kojiro charged in at inhuman speeds and began slashing away. 

Some drawbacks to magic was that one needed time to initiate the stronger spells, which was a critical factor in a fast-paced battle. Furthermore, a person could only cast one spell at a time. The four Ranmas were so experienced with their ki techniques was that they could use them instinctively. They weren't quite as draining as summoning up the power from the local spirits. Also, they could easily be combined to their physical to do multiple damage. 

As Zelgadis was being slowly worn down by his feline foe, Gourry was getting the workout of his life. He had thought that T-Ranma's Beam Saber was impressive, but D-Ranma's Crimson Fang was definitely a match for the Sword of Light. The dragon Ranma was also no slouch when it came to swordsmanship and the blonde mercenary found himself against a very worthy opponent. 

_Whoa!_ Gourry thought. _This guy's even better than Zangulus and that Demonic Howling Wind Sword of his!_ Lina's companion tried a side slash with the Sword of Light, only to have D-Ranma counter with a parry, then stepped inside to deliver a sidekick to Gourry's ribs. 

The blonde mercenary's breath was driven out and it was lucky that D-Ranma didn't put much force into the kick. Gourry was sent flying backward, but he soon got to his feet. He looked to where his opponent was taking an odd stance with his sword held high and was glowing with a blue aura. 

"The great Dragon King Surek taught me this technique! Behold the Hundred Wind Slash of the West!" 

Lina's ears perked up at this announcement as she dodged a few stray plasma bolts from T-Ranma. _Dragon King?_

D-Ranma suddenly began swinging his sword in fast arcs, generating tornado-like winds toward Gourry. Lina's friend held up his sword to defend, but even an energy blade could not stop the wind. The blasts of air slammed into him and Gourry winced in pain as the air currents rushed by and began ripping though his body armor like blades. Gourry found himself swept off the ground and carried high into the air like a leaf caught in a hurricane. 

D-Ranma leapt up and then made a spiraling maneuver with his sword. 

"WIND SCREAM ATTACK!" 

Spinning his sword so fast, the displaced air pressure created a focused sonic boom. At the same time, using his ki to direct it, D-Ranma slashed forward and sent the attack flying toward his opponent. The blast hit Gourry dead on; sending intense vibrations that caused whatever was left of his armor to shake apart. The impact also released a large sonic detonation, which caused Gourry's sense of balance and hearing to temporarily go haywire. The dragon warrior made certain that the attack was only strong enough to shake up his opponent and not kill him. The attack worked and Gourry lapsed into unconsciousness as he experienced vertigo from being tossed about in D-Ranma's earlier technique. 

The blonde swordsman lost his grip on the Sword of Light as he fell to the ground. Fortunately, D-Ranma used a simple levitation spell to slow his descent and Gourry landed on the ground with all the impact of a cotton ball. 

Meanwhile, Amelia and Sylphiel were having no luck whatsoever trying to defeat B-Ranma. Unfortunately, because they used magic in their attacks, their energies were way too easy for the blind Amazon to detect and anticipate their attacks. Of course, right now he was only dodging as he tried to calm them down. His sixth and seventh senses were telling him that his attackers weren't evil, just misguided. Though he did find it strange that Sylphiel's aura almost matched that of Kasumi's. Shaking his head, he continued to evade Amelia's attempts to fry, electrocute, freeze and blast him into next week. Sylphiel was holding back and prepared to use defensive spells should their opponent try to attack them. The white priestess didn't have much in terms of offensive magic, except for the very destructive Dragon Slave and a sometimes-working Flare Arrow. 

"Stand still enemy of justice and take your righteous punishment from a true defender of good!" Amelia threw a couple of fireballs and one Elmikian Lance. 

B-Ranma wondered just what the heck she was talking about as he dodged the two fireballs and then used his senses on the Elmikian Lance. He immediately assessed the power of the spell and began focusing his ki into his battle staff. He then made a swinging arc, trailing a bright line of ki. 

"KI CUTTER!" 

Amelia and Sylphiel were shocked as the beam was sliced into halves, which passed, harmlessly by the blind Amazon and disintegrated. 

"His staff must be enchanted!" Sylphiel exclaimed. 

B-Ranma shook his head and replied, "No it's not. I just happen to know a few things about magic myself. Anyway, why are you attacking my friends and me? We haven't done anything to you." 

"Do not try to deceive us!" Amelia piped up. "I saw your friend trying to put that magic inhibitor on Miss Lina. You're in league with those who no doubt, planned to do some horrible and unspeakable act upon her. It is my duty as the princess of Sailoon and avatar of righteousness that all those who pledge allegiance to evil must pay for their foul and dishonorable ways. I, Amelia Seyrrun, shall smite thee with the hammer of justice!" Amelia then took a heroic pose that would have put Sailor Moon to shame. 

B-Ranma and Sylphiel both had large sweatdrops on the backs of their heads and then the Unseen Light martial artist pinched the bridge of his nose with a free hand and shook his head. _And I thought Kuno's speeches were hard on my ears._ He let off a sigh as he took a simple stance with his staff slung over one shoulder. "Very well. It seems that the only way I can get you to listen is if I defeat you. So come on." With these words, he charged forward. 

"FLARE ARROW!" 

Amelia released several fiery projectiles at her foe, but to her surprise, the blind Ranma casually dodged her attack with a forward flip. He then landed and grinned. "Cute, but predictable. Why don't you try something else?" 

"BOMB SPREAD!" 

B-Ranma made a kind of swaying maneuver and dodged the sparks as Amelia's energy ball exploded in front of him. Being blind did give him an advantage as he was not distracted by the bright flashes of light. Amelia had to shield her eyes though and was very surprised when she felt something tap her shoulder. 

"That was amusing." B-Ranma grinned even more as he hopped back a few yards. 

Amelia was getting frustrated as her attacks were being ridiculed. _Time to get more serious!_ She began invoking her more powerful spells in shamanism. "Wind which blows across eternity, gather in my hands and become my strength! BRAM GUSH!" 

As soon as B-Ranma sensed the power buildup, he knew that something big was coming. His senses picked up the sudden blast of wind coming at him as he held up his staff and began charging up his ki. He then twirled his staff and countered the arrow of wind. 

"SPIRIT SPIN!" 

The magical energies of the Bram Gush started flying apart as B-Ranma's ki energies interacted with them. When Amelia's attack faded away, the blind Ranma decided that it was time that he went on the offensive. He leapt forward and landed three yards in front of Amelia. He calmly slung his staff over a shoulder and gestured with a finger while standing in a neutral stance. 

"Take your best shot." 

The young princess of Sailoon was still dumfounded as to how B-Ranma had deflected her Bram Gush with just a staff. But now she saw an opportunity. She concentrated her energies and let loose with an attack. 

"Wind, crimson flame. Grant the power of thunder to my hand. DIGGER VOLT!" 

The blast of lightning streaked at the blind Amazon. Then he suddenly split into two separate images. 

_Huh? That never happened before!_ Amelia was expecting B-Ranma to be extra crispy, not become twins! 

B-Ranma grinned as his two images became four. Then became eight. Then doubled again. Soon Amelia found herself encircled by seventeen illusions of her foe which floated and began to rotate. 

"Chinese Amazon Technique. The Splitting Cat Hairs." The Unseen Light fighter explained from within the illusion. 

Amelia looked from one image to another, trying to discern which one was the real B-Ranma. She was very frustrated as she tried concentrating her magical senses on her opponent, but there was a problem. There was no magic involved, rather that the technique simply caused the user's ki to blanket out to create those illusions. As a result, Amelia couldn't lock onto her foe's life energies. Then she felt something press against the nape of her neck and she suddenly slipped into unconsciousness. 

The illusion faded away, leaving B-Ranma standing over the fallen girl after touching her sleeper point. 

Sylphiel stared in amazement at B-Ranma, who then directed his attention to her. With just a finger and a simple-looking illusion spell, Amelia had been defeated! 

B-Ranma was about to go into a defensive stance, but then sensed that the girl wasn't any danger to him. He then smiled as he casually walked up to her. 

"S-S-Stay back!" Sylphiel held up her hands, preparing to release a spell. 

The blind Amazon shrugged as he knelt down and put an index finger to the ground. He then focused his ki into the dirt and directed it toward the area where the white priestess was standing. 

A cloud of dust was suddenly kicked up around Sylphiel, distracting her for just a few moments. That was all the Unseen Light fighter needed as he rushed forward and delivered several shiatsu strikes, immobilizing her voluntary skeletal muscles and her larynx. Sylphiel found herself paralyzed and unable to say anything. She was effectively prevented from casting any spells. 

B-Ranma gave her a whimsical smile while patting her shoulder. "Why don't you keep out of this fight, all right? It's almost over." 

Lina Inverse was breathing really hard as she had been fighting against T-Ranma for a good ten minutes nonstop. The nanotech warrior showed no signs at all of tiring and she had been throwing her more destructive spells at him with little or no effect. The area had been devastated by wind, fire, ice and lightning. 

Her opponent however, either dodged her attacks or pulled out some strange weapons out of nowhere. She had never seen such things as a CX-949 Mark II Buster Rifle, a T-499 AcMag Blaster, or H-188 Stun Grenades. She began thinking that he was some kind of magic user with access to a really big hole in the astral plane where he stored all those weird weapons. Those devices had more firepower than entire kingdoms! 

Her reserves of magic were almost depleted and now she was starting to feel the telltale signs of something else. She had started to feel those cramps the previous day and she knew that it was beginning to hamper her magical performance. 

_Oh no! It's getting to be that time of the month! Not now!_ Lina grimaced as she became a bit unbalanced. That familiar feeling of nausea and increase in body temperature confirmed it. She took a quick glance and saw that her allies were being defeated. Amelia and Sylphiel were out of action due to B-Ranma's pressure point attacks. Gourry had been trounced by D-Ranma, who was now holding the Sword of Light. As for Zelgadis, Lina became horrified as he was picked up by Kojiro and slammed headfirst into a nearby wall. The Chimera rolled to the ground and was unconscious. 

Nearby, The Neko Ken fighter winced and held his side where a small gash was bleeding. He growled at his foe and said, "When I knock you down, you BETTER STAY DOWN!" 

"Zelgadis!" She then took another look at her fallen friends, then shouted out to her adversary. "You hurt my friends! Attacking me with a magical inhibitor is one thing, but nobody does that to my friends! 

T-Ranma, who had just made his last weapon disappear and was standing before her, replied with a stern expression. "I didn't start this fight, but if you don't stop this nonsense and listen to reason, then I'm the one who is going to finish it!" 

"We'll see who finishes who!" Lina began concentrating her remaining strength as a ball of light appeared in her hands. "Darkness beyond twilight…" 

D-Ranma's magical senses went on alert as he saw the ball of light. He began to have memories of what his teacher Sojan had told him about certain spells. Spells that were powerful enough to kill a dragon. 

"Crimson beyond blood that flows…" 

D-Ranma's eyes widened as he suddenly realized what spell Lina was about to cast. "Ranma! Look out! It's a Dragon Slave!" 

T-Ranma nodded as his biocomputer began registering the power buildup. "I've got it covered Just make sure everyone's clear of the blast zone!" 

D-Ranma nodded as he gathered up the fallen body of Gourry and motioned for Kojiro and B-Ranma to do the same with the others. When they all came together, the dragon warrior began erecting a barrier. 

"Buried in the stream of time, that's where your power grows…" 

(* Magical energies now registering at 100,000. Massive destruction imminent! *) 

_Annihilator. Set for one billionth of maximum payload._

(*Affirmative. *) 

"I pledge myself to conquer all those who stand…" 

T-Ranma held out an arm and his most destructive weapon came into being. The super anti-matter cannon was the size of a field artillery piece as it rested on his arm like an oversized bazooka. 

"Against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand…" 

A targeting sight slid out and fitted itself in front of T-Ranma's eye. He mentally disabled the locks and was about to thumb the firing mechanism. 

"Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" 

_Fire._

"DRAGON SLAVE!" 

The ball of energy that Lina had been collecting suddenly shot forward and became a beam of multifaceted light. At the same time, the Annihilator spewed out a huge beam of anti-matter from its barrel to impact heavily against the most powerful spell of black magic. For one brief moment, the two forces battled against each other, each trying to overpower the other. However, an instant later, the Dragon Slave lost the battle as the Annihilator's beam enveloped the spell and kept on going. Though Lina's attack was strong enough to destroy a dragon, the anti-matter contained in the beam EATS up energy like candy. The power of the Dragon Slave merely strengthened the Annihilator's beam. 

Lina screamed as she saw that attack heading toward her. She had absolutely no time for a counterattack or defense. Not that there was anything she knew that was strong enough to stop the attack as she braced herself and prepared to die. 

Killing her was not T-Ranma's intent though. He had aimed his blast carefully so that the Dragon Slave would become absorbed and by tilting up the cannon slightly, the beam passed over Lina's head. Fortunately, since he was facing away from the city at the time, the beam would not endanger anyone. The blast went streaking off into the distance, where it impacted heavily on a distant mountain range. He had also taken into account of where his ship was parked and aimed away from it. There was brilliant flash of light and the night sky was lit up until it was like noon. There was a huge shockwave and even though they were more than twenty miles away, the earth rumbled as if subjected to an earthquake. The aftershocks caused trees to be knocked over like matchsticks and the citizens of the city huddled in terror at the sudden light show and destruction. 

When it all settled down and the light faded away back into night, T-Ranma lowered the cannon a bit and Lina found herself staring down the barrel. 

"Next time, Lina Inverse, I won't aim to MISS!" 

Lina gulped as she looked behind her and saw that a huge wedge of the countryside had been reduced to a blackened ruin and that the mountains that were there were now nonexistent. Whatever that weapon was, it had proven to be even more powerful than anything she had ever seen. It definitely put her Dragon Slave to shame. It might even be more powerful than the dreaded Giga Slave. 

"There they are!" 

"Get them!" 

"They're the ones who have been causing all the trouble!" 

T-Ranma looked over to one side and saw a mob of people heading toward them. He saw that some of them were wearing uniforms and assumed that they must be from the local authorities. Shaking his head the entire debacle, he made his Annihilator disappear and motioned for the others to follow him. It would take far too much trouble for them to try to explain everything so it made sense for them to just leave. He engaged his anti-gravity systems and shot up into the heavens. 

Taking this as his cue, D-Ranma grabbed both of his dimensional counterparts and he too lifted off into the air. In no time whatsoever, they were gone from sight. 

Lina Inverse stared up at the retreating group as they disappeared into the heavens. She then remembered her friends and rushed over to where they were. Gourry and Zelgadis were just starting to come around and Sylphiel began to feel her arms and legs again. Amelia was still asleep. As she helped Gourry to his feet, she began wondering who those four were and what kind of magic they had used. She was especially interested in T-Ranma's Annihilator. 

Eventually, Lina and her group had discovered that T-Ranma and his friends had been telling the truth. When they came across the bandit leader under a pile of rubble, they coaxed the truth out of him (rather they threatened massive bodily harm). Lina was feeling pretty embarrassed with her impulsive actions, but then she had time to think about it as they were being chased out of town by an angry mob. 

Sometime later, the five of them were sitting near a campfire, tending to their wounds and talking about the strange group that had given them all runs for their money. 

"I wonder just who those four guys were." Lina mused as she let Sylphiel use her white magic to tend to the scratches and bruises she received from her battle with T-Ranma. The white priestess couldn't do anything about Lina's 'time of the month' condition. That was a natural function of the female body and she would have to come out of that on her own. Which was just as well that her opponent and his friends had decided to leave. At that moment, she didn't have enough power to do anything besides a Lighting Spell. 

Lina shivered as she remembered the image of her Dragon Slave being devoured by that strange weapon. The massive destruction it caused made the most powerful attack in black magic look like a firecracker. She smiled slightly as imagined herself with such a potent weapon at her disposal. 

_What I wouldn't give to have that! And all those other magical weapons too._ Since Lina Inverse was about as familiar with technology as Gourry was with knowing what a fiancée was, she naturally assumed that T-Ranma's arsenal were mystical artifacts that were powered by some unknown form of magic. She knew absolutely nothing of fusion reactors, meson/anti-meson thermoelectric batteries, or quantum-energy projectiles. 

As Lina was contemplating this, the others also talked about their opponents. 

"I'm telling you, that creature I fought was some kind of werebeast!" Zelgadis stated as he rubbed his bandaged side and began invoking a healing spell. His head also throbbed a bit from being rammed headfirst into a wall. 

"That can't be right, Mr. Zelgadis. Look, there isn't a full moon out tonight." Amelia pointed up at the sky, which depicted a quarter-moon that was partially hidden behind some clouds. "Besides, it didn't burn when you managed to cut it with your sword." 

The Chimera man nodded as he thought about it. He had managed to nick Kojiro before the Neko Ken fighter had slammed him into a wall. Instead of screaming in pain from the contact with silver, the Cat Fist fighter had gotten angry and… Zelgadis couldn't remember anything else after he had blacked out and awoken after the battle. 

He then began thinking about those strange energy attacks of Kojiro's. They weren't magic. As a proficient magic user, he was quite familiar with the kinds of energy that was created by white and black magic as well as shamanism. Other than a slight emanation of supernatural energies, Kojiro emitted no considerable amounts of mystic energy. So what exactly did he shoot from his hands and eyes? And the way he used that same power to cut through his stone skin like parchment? Whatever those attacks were, they hurt! 

Zelgadis took on a thoughtful look. "You may be right Amelia, now that I think about it. I'm not sure what those people used, but it wasn't magic. At least it wasn't anything that I'm familiar with." 

Amelia nodded as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I still don't know what that other guy used to put me to sleep like that. I swear that all he did was touch me with one finger. And I've never heard an illusion spell called the Splitting Cat Hairs." She turned to where Sylphiel was sitting. "How about you Sylphiel?" 

The white priestess shook her head. "I'm just as much in the dark as you are. I don't understand how he could have paralyzed me with just his finger. He also somehow prevented me from speaking so I couldn't cast any spells. And when he touched the ground and made that cloud of dust appear, I didn't hear him invoke any of the Earth spirits." 

Amelia looked off to stare at nothing in particular. "He beat us both, with almost no effort at all. The way he moved, it was if he were reading my mind. He anticipated my every attack. I've never seen anyone move like that." 

"One thing for sure, those guys were really tough." 

Everyone turned to Gourry, who was at the moment fixing a spare blade to the Sword of Light. Sylphiel had already healed the worst of the swordsman's injuries, but he was feeling depressed. He had thought himself as proficient with the blade, but after first being outmatched by T-Ranma, then blasted by D-Ranma, the blonde mercenary was feeling a bit low on self-esteem. 

"Gourry dear, you mustn't be sad. You had to fight two of them." Sylphiel said to comfort him. 

"Yeah, well I've never seen that kind of swordplay before, and those swords they had, well I'm pretty sure that last guy I fought was using a magic blade." 

Lina and Amelia had to nod at that. They had sensed great magic from D-Ranma. That Dragon Fire attack of his was more powerful than a Fireball. The girls still had the burns on their posteriors to prove it. However, they had also seen him use that same strange energy that the others were using as well. They were still wondering that reference he made to the Dragon Kings and wondered if he had been referring to the ones on Kataart Mountain. 

The five of them decided that it was just too much to think about for the moment and decided to get some sleep. 

Some distance away, the four Ranmas were also sitting near a campfire beside T-Ranma's spacecraft. 

"Well that was a waste of time." Kojiro remarked as he idly munched on a sandwich. Thanks to a few high-tech medical supplies from the ship, the wounds he had sustained from fighting Zelgadis had been healed up in a flash. The others were also healed up and were enjoying a late-night snack. 

"Yeah, talk about gratitude." D-Ranma remarked. "Try to save a person's life and what do you get instead of thanks? Mass destruction spells and a couple of swordsmen that are trying to run you through." 

"Well, what's done is done." T-Ranma sighed. He took a bite out of his own sandwich. Though technically, he could survive on minimum amounts of food due to his highly efficient physiology, he still needed to keep up appearances and he did enjoy the taste of good food. In any case, he could store and use any food energy he consumed with 98% efficiency. Hoping to change the subject, he asked two of his counterparts if they had located any kerium. 

Kojiro and B-Ranma shook their heads. It was at that time that the Neko Ken fighter said, "Hey Ranma. What was that big cannon that you used to stop that girl's spell?" 

T-Ranma sighed as he replied, "That was the most powerful weapon in my arsenal. It's a mark twenty-five, super anti-matter cannon called the Annihilator. I had hoped that I wouldn't have to use it but when that Lina Inverse used the Dragon Slave, well it was the only thing I had to stop her from blowing us up, not to mention the entire town. As you may or may not know, anti-matter eats up energy, so I had no problems in absorbing that magical attack. And that was only at one billionth of the Annihilator's maximum." 

"One billionth?!" The other three Ranmas eeped. 

T-Ranma smirked. "I've only used it once at full power and trust me, it's not pretty. At full power, I could take out an entire quadrant. In any case, enough about what's already happened. We still need to find that kerium and get out of here." 

"Yeah but where do we look?" D-Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma gestured to his ship, which began projecting a holographic image of the world they were in. It also sent metal images into the head of the blind Ranma. It then displayed the geographical location of a large city. "What you're seeing is a city that the natives call Sailoon. My probes tell me that there are large deposits of gemstones and artifacts that are emitting energies that are similar to that of kerium. Since there is so much magical interference, my ship's sensors can't isolate the kerium from the rest of the magic items there. If we want to get any kerium, we're going to have to go to Sailoon and check it out with our compuguides." 

"Just so long as we don't meet up with that crazy bunch again, I'll be happy." D-Ranma stated. 

T-Ranma nodded as he opened the hatch to his ship and let the others inside to sleep for the night. 

The very next morning, Lina and her group were on the road heading back toward Amelia's hometown. 

"So why are heading back to Sailoon, Amelia?" 

The little princess smiled as she thought about her father. "The message that my father has sent me a couple of days ago told me that Sailoon had received a shipment of mystic stones that had just been discovered. The priests of Sailoon are now studying them. Some of these stones had fallen from the sky and possess some strange magical energy that we have yet to identify. They say that these stones could actually quadruple a person's magical powers." 

Lina's face perked up with interest at this news. The thought of actually getting more powerful appealed to her and she began thinking about just how to… borrow a few of these stones. 

Zelgadis also showed some interest as he thought about getting enough power to change back to his human form. 

As Lina's group made their way, from the opposite direction, a ship that was using its cloaking field, was also racing toward Sailoon. 

Meanwhile, in someplace that was dark and evil, another was planning to make a trip to Sailoon. However, his intentions were as dark as his own heart. 

To be continued… 

Author's notes

Well, that does it for chapter two. Next up, the conclusion to the visit to the Slayers World as the four Ranmas try their best to get back to their home dimensions. However, it's not going to be easy for them as a new evil will try to thwart their plans. Stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 3 (part 1)

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: Give the credit to Rumiko Takahashi and all the other people who created these characters. The people that I made up are just that; made up. 

Italic: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech 

D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child 

B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury 

**Last episode:** After destroying an entire mountain range from their unintentional battle with Lina Inverse and her party, the four Ranmas decided to travel to Sailoon in order to find the element they need to get back to their home dimensions. Little do they know that Lina Inverse and her company are also on a journey back to Amelia's home kingdom. An old enemy of Lina's is also heading their way with thoughts of vengeance. 

**Chapter 3 **

Go Team Ranma! 

Part 1 

"Hmmm, they're pretty good." T-Ranma commented as he watched two of his counterparts spar with each other. The four had landed on the outskirts of Sailoon in their cloaked ship the night before. Early the next morning, Kojiro and B-Ranma had woken early and decided to test each other's skills against one another. The other two Ranmas had found them trading blows outside of the ship. 

D-Ranma nodded as he analyzed Kojiro and B-Ranma's moves. They recognized the Saotome Anything Goes style in both of the combatants, but Kojiro seemed to be more proficient in using it than his sightless opponent. Then again, the Amazon Ranma had been raised by the Joketsuzoku for more than half his life, and had not been put through the same training sessions as the Cat Fist fighter after that horrid pit of cats. His Amazonian Wu Shu, shiatsu, and ki control were nothing to sneeze at though. 

As the two battled one another, the technological and mystical Ranmas could see that the two contrasted each other in both personality and fighting styles. Kojiro was like the saber-tooth. Ferocious and very strong-willed. He was independent and wasn't afraid to speak out his mind. He had the kind of street smarts that T-Ranma could relate to from living on his own and making his own choices in life, without the influence of their common relation, their idiot father Genma. He fought with fangs and claws bared, relying on savage strength and speed. Yet he did not lash out blindly, rather he used a primal instinct, like a predator on the hunt. In short, Ranma did not let the Cat Fist control him; rather he used that power to his best advantage. Like the tiger, as long as one didn't bother him, then he or she would have nothing to fear. Get him angry or irritated and Kojiro would make certain that the person would regret being foolish enough to tick him off. 

On the other hand, B-Ranma showed a kind of thoughtfulness that went beyond his years. He fought with uncanny precision and accuracy. His strikes were carefully measured and delivered only enough force to do the job. Though he had nowhere near Kojiro's inhuman strength and speed, the special senses and skills he had learned more than compensated for the wide margin in physical abilities. He moved with subtle grace and evaded many of Kojiro's blows by mere millimeters. It was almost as if he could read Kojiro's thoughts and moved only as much as was required. The Unseen Light fighter was far more aware of his environment than all of them and could detect some things that even high-tech scanners and mystical senses could not, such as the inner emotions of another person. His fighting style was basically defensive, using the attacker's own power against him, but he also attacked when it was necessary. All in all, both gave each other a run for his money. 

"RAGING TIGER BOLT!" 

Kojiro had thought he could distract B-Ranma with a ki blast, the follow through with a jump kick. However, he may as well have given his opponent an engraved invitation. Ranma's sixth sense had already detected the sudden buildup if ki and his seventh sense tracked Kojiro's radar image as he leapt toward him. Easily dodging the ki blast, the Unseen Light fighter ducked under the kick, then jabbed a finger into his friend's extended leg. 

The Cat Fist fighter winced as he felt his leg's muscles begin to lock up. He was then hit in the solar plexus as B-Ranma took out his staff and made it extend to its five-foot length, driving him back. He managed to roll away and then hit the side of his thigh to release the locking effect of the Amazon's shiatsu attack. Though his knowledge of manipulating power points was nowhere near B-Ranma's, he did know a fair amount about the effects of focusing one's ki to disrupt nerve impulses. 

"Not bad, Ranma. Didn't see that one coming." Kojiro said as he and his opponent circled one another. 

"You're pretty good yourself, Kojiro." B-Ranma remarked as he made a feint with his staff, and then launched a barrage of darts from out of nowhere with a wave of his free hand. 

Kojiro wasted no time and made a casual swipe with his claws, shredding the darts into confetti. "Well, so you know the Hidden Weapon style that idiot Mousse uses." 

"You're familiar with it?" B-Ranma stabbed forward with his staff. 

"I went up against Mousse in my dimension. He's become nothing more than a nuisance since I fought him." He slashed forward with his claws. He was very surprised when the staff didn't fall apart, then noticed a faint energy surrounding the weapon. He figured that the blind Amazon must have been focusing his own ki into the rod to deflect the cutting power of his claws. 

"Yeah, he's pretty much a pest in my world too. At least you were lucky. I had to grow up in the same village with him for eight years. He's really making my cousin Shampoo annoyed with his stupid 'Oh my darling Shampoo!' speeches and stuff." B-Ranma mimicked Mousse's voice as he retracted his staff, then let loose with a fast triple-hit combo, followed by a sweep kick. "For someone who can still see, he's more blind than I am!" 

Kojiro evaded the attacks, then countered with some swipes, then used a roundhouse kick. "I take it, he sees you as an obstacle to his darling Shampoo." The Neko Ken martial artist winced as he remembered all those times Mousse attacked him for 'stealing' his intended bride. 

"Yeah, well they say love makes one blind (pardon the pun), and nobody's more blind to the truth than he is." The Unseen Light martial artist evaded the swipes, then countered the kick by grabbing the extended leg and using leverage to toss his opponent over his shoulder. 

Kojiro went flying, but simply turned in midair, used a nearby tree to rebound off and sent him hurtling back. He fired off his eye beams before landing lightly on his feet. 

B-Ranma sensed the attack, but he only had time bring up his arms in an X-block and focus his ki. He winced as his aura took the brunt of the attack, but some of its force still came through and he could feel the heat of the beams. Biting back the slight burns on his arms, he moved forward and threw a fast barrage of punches. 

"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" 

Kojiro had experienced this technique before and countered with his own. 

"TIGER CLAW FRENZY!" 

The arms of both combatants blurred as they delivered their speed techniques. Though B-Ranma was a lot faster than Shampoo, Kojiro knew that he still had the advantage in overall speed. B-Ranma leapt back with numerous small cuts on his arms, like dozens of little paper cuts. The Cat Fist fighter smirked, and then his smile disappeared as he suddenly felt pain flaring up on his upper arms and some on his chest. 

B-Ranma smiled as he said, "Your speed technique is superior to the Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire, but that doesn't mean that I have to hit you many times to hurt you." 

Kojiro then realized that some of B-Ranma's shots had targeted pressure points on his arms and chest, instead of just punching. He could feel his hands begin to lock up and a series of stinging sensations along his upper torso. The few hits his opponent had managed to land were as effective as the many cuts that the Tiger Claw Frenzy had inflicted. Despite the raw power of the Neko Ken, B-Ranma's techniques made him just as lethal, and an opponent to be respected. 

"That's enough, guys." T-Ranma declared as he got between the two of them. "Remember, we still have a job to do. We still have to locate that Kerium." 

"Aw, but we were just getting warmed up!" Kojiro pouted. 

"I haven't had a good workout like that in a long while." B-Ranma concurred. 

"You guys will have plenty of time later to practice with each other and compare notes with your lives, but right now, we've got more important things to take care of. For now, let's have those wounds and cuts tended to and get ready to go into Sailoon." 

A few minutes later, the four ventured into the city. Kojiro and B-Ranma had been healed up, thanks to the medical technology of T-Ranma's ship. Though he was impressed at the advanced medical abilities of the devices, the blind Amazon healer still preferred his own methods, as he considered his world's modern doctors as too dependent on technology. Not that he anything against advances in helping the sick and injured, but machines were cold and unfeeling. He was taught to give the best of care in not only the physical sense, but also in the mental and emotional departments as well. An entire village of Amazon females all seemed to agree on this point, especially when he was the one giving treatment. 

"All right, you guys. According to what the compuguides are saying, the greatest concentration of Kerium seems to be in that big castle over there." T-Ranma pointed to the mentioned structure at the center of the city. 

"So we have to go in there? That shouldn't be too much of a problem." Kojiro remarked. 

"Now hold on a minute." T-Ranma said. "We don't know what's in there and we can't just walk up there without permission. And don't think we can just barge in throwing ki blasts and stuff. For all we know, there might be people in there who are like the ones we met back in that other town. I'd like to avoid another misunderstanding if you don't mind." 

The three other Ranmas nodded in agreement. Spotting a nearby café, they decided to stop for breakfast, while they thought up a plan to get into the castle and search for the element they needed. 

Some time earlier… 

In a small cavern near the ruins of the city once known as Sairaag, Sylphiel's birthplace, and an old enemy of Lina Inverse and her friends had been stirring. It had been a week after the release of the Giga Slave and the defeat of Hellmaster Phibrizzo. What was left of him had been festering in these caverns since then. He was less than a phantom of his former self after his near-obliteration from the dreaded Giga Slave. He had been under the presumption that he could wreak chaos over the world by forcing the sorceress into invoking that destructive magic, but his plan had backfired and he had become the victim of the Lord of Nightmares' power. It had only through sheer luck that he had managed to transfer a small portion of his own being into the astral plane before the rest of him had been annihilated. Now that tiny shred was all that was left of him. To say that he wasn't happy would be an understatement. 

The dark lord had been slowly gathering energy in the hope of regaining his former self, but with his power depleted to nil, the villain realized that it would take eons before he could regain even a billionth of his old power. No, he needed some kind of catalyst and a huge amount of energy to jump-start him on the road to recovery. He could only manage the simplest of spells at the moment and without a physical form, he could not maintain his focus for very long. His gaseous state left him too unstable and it took most of Phibrizzo's concentration to keep his form from scattering like smoke. It wouldn't be long before the last shred of Phibrizzo's essence would be gone for good. 

Then, a once-in-a-billion-lifetimes opportunity appeared. No more than a day ago, a vagabond stumbled into the ruins, looking for a place to spend the night. Phibrizzo had leapt at the chance and phased his essence into the body of the unfortunate individual, driving the poor soul from its rightful place. The vagabond died that day, but Phibrizzo was reborn. He now had physical substance and a container to hold more power. 

Since that time, Phibrizzo had been secretly going around, stealing magical talismans and artifacts, and transferring his essence into other hosts, gathering more and more power with every new vessel. He went after sorcerers and wizards, adding their magic to his own and gaining ever stronger. Still it was not enough. Although by now, he inhabited the body of a very powerful black magic wizard, he still needed far more energy to regain the destructive power he once possessed. To that end, he heard rumors of mysterious stones that could dramatically increase a person's magical potential by at least four or five times. With those stones, Phibrizzo could become the dark lord once again. However, the problem was finding a host that had enough magical ability so that the stones could amplify those powers to that of his old self's. His current host was about the equal of Lina Inverse in the realm of black magic, but he needed more. He had considered seeking out Lina Inverse and taking over her body, but the idea was quickly discarded. He wanted Lina Inverse to live so that he could exact his revenge upon her. Taking over her body and forcing out her soul was too quick. It was then that he came across the ruins of laboratory that once belonged to Rezo, the Red Priest. He then used a scrying spell and discerned that this was the place where a copy of Rezo had been created. He also discovered that a few samples were still intact, including a few strands of hair from the Red Priest himself, and some hairs from another wizard. It was then that Phibrizzo had gotten an evil idea. If he could not find a suitable body, then he would simply make himself one. And why stop at just a copy of an inferior human priest or second-rate wizard? 

About a week after he started fashioning himself a new body, he suddenly sensed a huge surge of power emanating near the city of Sailoon. He paused in his work as he gauged the destructive energies being used. He recognized part of those energies as black magic. Judging by how it was focused, he came to the conclusion that someone had used a Dragon Slave recently. However, that other energy source was unknown to him. It seemed to consume the magic of the Dragon Slave and become ever more powerful. It wasn't magic that was for certain, as it did not draw upon the normal sources of power on this world. He began wondering just whom or what could cause such a huge imbalance of power and overcome the strongest spell in black magic without resorting to a counterspell. He decided to table this new discovery for later as he continued to work on his new form. He had been raiding magical archives and tombs of wizards in order to get the samples he needed. It wouldn't be long before he had all the ingredients he needed to exact his long-awaited revenge against a certain flat-cheasted witch. 

Present time… 

"It's great to back!" Amelia exclaimed, as she and her party were nearing the outskirts of Sailoon. For the most part, the group were getting along, except for Lina, who was still in 'that time of the month,' which would probably last until late the next day. Of course, with her being so cranky, the others tended to avoid her. 

Unknown to them however, a couple of shady characters were following them from a distance. Their intent was also to see the fabulous and mysterious stones that the Sailoon White Magic Priests had recently acquired. However, their intent was far from just research. 

Somewhere near the walls of the castle… 

"Okay, so knocking on the front door is out of the question." Kojiro commented as he and his companions looked at the heavily armed guards at the main gate. It wasn't that they feared their weapons or anything. Any one of the Ranmas could take them out, no problem. But as T-Ranma had said, they wanted to avoid drawing attention to themselves. 

"So now what?" B-Ranma asked. "They won't let us in to see the ruler, Prince what's-his-name." 

"Prince Philionel" D-Ranma supplied. "In any case, his name isn't important. Are you sure that the Kerium is in there?" 

T-Ranma nodded as he looked over the palace with the energy scanners built into his eyes. "Definitely in there, but I can't pinpoint it. Too much magical interference from various artifacts and people. Guess the only way we'll be able to find it is if we search the place." 

"You're suggesting that we sneak in there?" Kojiro asked. 

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow?" D-Ranma asked. "I mean, the posters in town said that the stones will be on display to the public. Maybe we could…" 

T-Ranma shook his head. "No. We can't risk trying to get it then. It's too open. In any case, I don't think they'll believe us if we tried to explain why we need that stone. Besides, the longer we stay in this world, the greater the chance of our unintentionally disrupting it. No, I would prefer it if we got the Kerium quickly and quietly, and get out here as soon as possible with as little disruption as we can muster. We don't belong in this world and it would be best for everyone to limit our contact with this place. Besides, I know anxious you guys are to get back to your own worlds, right?" 

The other three Ranmas nodded. 

"Okay, so here's what we'll do…" 

Meanwhile, Amelia and her party arrived at the main gate and were greeted by the royal guards. Once escorted into the castle, Amelia's father happily greeted them. 

"Oh my dear Amelia!" The giant, so-called pacifist ruler cried out as he swept up his daughter in a giant bear hug. "I see that you had gotten my message." 

"Yes, Daddy." Amelia replied as she hugged her father back, and was then set back down. "Daddy, you remember my friends?" She gestured over to the group behind her. 

"Ah yes, it is good to see you all again." Philionel replied as he shook hands and gave polite bows. He then gestured to some servants to show them to the guest quarters. 

Later that evening… 

D-Ranma and T-Ranma stood on a high rooftop near the west side of the castle walls. The nanotech soldier was speaking into his pin communicator to the other two Ranmas, who were planning to make their way in through the east side. 

"Okay guys. Remember the plan. Once you're inside, try to keep using your energies to a minimum. I'm not sure what kind of detection devices they have in there, but it would be best if we didn't draw any attention to ourselves. Go in there and find that Kerium. We don't need very much. One fistful should be plenty. If you're not sure, then check your compuguides. Be sure to keep your communicators open in case you get into any trouble. Got it?" 

"Got it." All the other Ranmas replied as they prepared to enter the castle in their own unique way. 

T-Ranma nodded as he looked at his dragon counterpart. "How about you? You probably have the biggest amount of magic of the four of us. You'd stick out like a sore thumb in there." 

"Don't worry about it. I've learned how to mask my energies back in the Dragon World. In any case, shall we get started?" 

The intergalactic bounty hunter nodded as he looked at their first obstacle, the high wall. "I could use my anti-grav system to get us both up there and…" 

"Hold on a minute. Wouldn't your energies be detected as well? Like you said before, we don't exactly know how their detection methods work." 

"Hmmm, you're right. Looks like we're going to have to scale the wall." 

"That's a big place we've got to search for something the size of an apple. We don't have time to waste. I'll fly us both in." 

"But…" 

"Don't worry about it. I have another way of flying that doesn't emit very much energy." D-Ranma assured as he took off his shirt and then began concentrating. 

T-Ranma was about to ask what he was talking about when suddenly, a pair of huge, leathery wings sprouted out from his back. The huge appendages measured a little more than twice the length of his body. The dragon warrior gave his wings a few practice flaps as he spread them wide. 

"H-How did you…?" 

D-Ranma smiled as he said, "I'm part-dragon, remember? I prefer using my ki to fly, since it doesn't take as much effort as flapping my wings and it's a lot faster. One major drawback is that chaotic energy surges can disrupt my flying field. Flying over such a large concentration of magic like that castle there would have certainly caused me difficulty. Hang on." 

Without another word, D-Ranma took a deep breath, then gave his wings a powerful downward thrust. He was soon airborne, then swooped down to pick up his technological counterpart. Once he had his passenger firmly in hand, he then winged his way toward a dark and seemingly deserted part on the inner courtyard. 

On the other side, B-Ranma and Kojiro had easily broken into the east side and were now sneaking their way into the castle. They were at a great advantage in the darkness as Kojiro possessed extraordinary night vision, thanks to his feline side, and you wouldn't have to be a genius to figure out that B-Ranma would have no trouble maneuvering in the dark. 

B-Ranma motioned for his friend to follow him as he snuck up behind a couple of guards without a sound. A couple of quick jabs applied to their sleeper points and they were sent to dreamland. He then crept up at the door and used his senses to probe the bolted door in front of him. He smiled as he discerned the inner mechanism of the lock. He then began focusing his ki into the lock and a moment later, the heavy metal bar dissolved into powder with no more sound than sand pouring down between one's fingers. 

"That's pretty handy." Kojiro remarked quietly as he and his companion silently made their way inside. 

In one of the guest rooms… 

Sylphiel awoke with a start as her psychic senses detected the presence of someone. She felt several controlled energy sources and one source seemed somewhat familiar. She began wondering as to who it could be, then she remembered just where she had felt him before. Her thoughts went back to that battle a few days earlier and the person she went up against. Whoever that stranger was, he was quite powerful and drew on a kind of magic that she had never seen before. Though for some reason, she thought that there was something, not quite right about him. As a white priestess, she had been trained to use her magical talents to probe the human body in order to assess any damage and heal it, but something about him did not seem quite normal. Furthermore, he had used a skill that she had only heard about in legend. There were ancient stories of great clerics and shamans that could heal with just a simple touch of the finger without any magic whatsoever. That knowledge, if it ever existed, was lost over the centuries as white magic became the principal tool for healing the sick and injured. 

Sylphiel, like all white priestesses and sages, were more used to letting their magic do their work for them in healing. They did know some basics of first aid and a rudimentary knowledge of CPR. She had used such techniques to help revive Lina during their battle with Copy Rezo. However, in the end, she was forced to use her resurrection spell in order to bring her back. 

The stranger however, had used no such spells. That much she was sure of. That illusion he did was certainly not magic and he had put Amelia to sleep just by pressing a spot on her neck. Then he amazed her even further by paralyzing all of her skeletal muscles and her larynx, effectively preventing her from casting any spells. That alone got her interest piqued. She had since been trying to duplicate his techniques, but with no success. 

Now she felt his presence again, as he probed the surrounding areas with a subtlety that was almost undetectable by even well trained espers. Then again, her teachers did tell her that her psychic sensitivity seemed to be a little higher than most. 

She just had to investigate. She just had to find out just who this man was and why he affected her the way he did. 

Somewhere in the inner areas, B-Ranma and Kojiro were quietly sneaking about, looking for any place that the stones might be stored in. They had reasoned that they might be kept in some kind of vault. They began looking for any place that might be well--guarded. It was then that B-Ranma suddenly stopped. 

"What's the matter?" 

B-Ranma cocked his head to one side and reached out with his enhanced senses while listening with his ears. "I'm… not sure. For a few moments, I thought that I felt something or someone at the edge of my perception range. We… may have been detected." 

Kojiro cocked his head and listen with his own extraordinary hearing. "I don't hear anyone. Whoa, check that. Someone's coming!" 

B-Ranma also heard the footsteps and both leapt up toward the ceiling and clung to the rafters above. They tensed up as two guards passed by on their nightly rounds. They both sighed in relief as the sentries went off and disappeared around the corner. After quietly returning to the floor, they pressed on in search of the element they needed. 

In another part of the castle, D-Ranma and T-Ranma were also making their way toward the main vault where they believed the Kerium was being stored. They had encountered a few of the guards, but a few knockout pellets from T-Ranma's mini dart launcher took care of them. D-Ranma didn't dare try to use his magical senses to probe the rooms as he relied on his compuguide and his technological counterpart to scan ahead of them. 

Unbeknownst to the four Ranmas, a couple of people were already in the vault, admiring Sailoon's newest treasures. Also, another uninvited guest was about to drop in. 

In the vault… 

"Wow! So these are the stones?" Lina Inverse asked as she gazed upon the glittering gems contained within a protective magical case. There were a dozen or so of the stones and each were about the size of an apple. She could feel their energies emanating from the container and could estimate that their power were far greater than the mystical amplifiers she had purchased from Xellos. 

"Yes." Amelia said with pride. "The temple priests had discovered them inside a large rock that fell from the sky. From what they've been able to determine, one gem alone could increase a person's magical ability at least ten times over." 

"Ten times? I thought you said four or five times?" 

"That's what they thought initially. After doing more research, it was found out that they're much more powerful. We're not sure exactly how far a person can be boosted with these gems. It was also discovered that they seemed to be partially connected to another plane of existence, actually bridging the gap between our world and another. It seems to be automatic. No invoking of any spirits or anything." 

"You mean these things can allow a person to travel to another world?" 

"That's the theory. There seems to be some kind of dimensional warping ability in these stones and it could be possible to draw on more power from those other places too." 

Lina's mind reeled at the possibilities. To able to draw on untapped potential from other worlds, as well as boost her own abilities past their already extraordinary levels. She's got to have one of these stones! 

"Hey Amelia. Do you think your father can let me have one of these stones? If not, I'll buy it for say… one thousand silver pieces? How about it?" 

"Miss Lina, I'm shocked! These stones are to be used for the good of all! We were hoping to use them to help our white magic priests with healing others. They aren't for sale!" 

"Aw, c'mon Amelia! Just one stone! It's not like your father would miss it! He's got plenty more." 

"No, Miss Lina. These stones are the property of the Kingdom of Sailoon and I'm afraid that you can't have one! Besides, after seeing you use those magic amplifiers of yours to power up that Dragon Slave, I shudder to think what would happen if you got your hands on one of these stones!" 

"Hey, I saved Sailoon from being crushed from that floating castle, didn't I?" It was true. Lina's amplified Dragon Slave had destroyed the floating landmass before it had crushed the city. 

"Yes, but you also ended up destroying the entire east side! It took us five months to rebuild it!" 

"Well, I saved MOST of Sailoon. C'mon Amelia, just one little stone. Please, pretty please, with sugar on top?" 

"No Miss Lina, and that is final! These stones have too much potential for destruction!" 

"I certainly agree!" 

Both girls were a bit surprised at the voice and turned toward the entrance to the vault. Standing at the doorway was a guard who was smiling devilishly at them. 

"I can think of a much better use for these stones." 

"Who are you, and why aren't you at your post?" Amelia demanded. 

The guard smiled as he walked toward them. "Who am I? Why I would think that you would both know me. It's only been a few weeks since we last faced off." 

"Sorry, but I can't place the face." Lina replied. 

"Well, now, why I don't give you another hint?" The guard chuckled as he cast aside his spear and began glowing with red energies. Before the startled eyes of Lina and Amelia, the tall man shrunk down and took on the form of a small boy with black hair and wearing a blue tunic. Lina's face went pale as she beheld the person she had thought the Giga Slave had completely destroyed. 

"Hellmaster Phibrizzo?! It can't be! Y-Y-ou're supposed to be dead!" 

Phibrizzo nodded as he replied, "Yes, well right now, I am just a mere shadow of my former self. When the Giga Slave tore my physical form apart, I was just barely able to escape total obliteration. Just as I had done when you and that white priestess used that Double Dragon on me, I was able to send my essence into the Spirit Realm. However, I was only successful in transferring a small portion of my being. It wasn't enough for me to reform into the physical plane and I would have remained a shapeless wraith, had I not been able to possess the body of convinint host. I then begin rebuilding my power, by taking the forms of others as well. Then I came across a copy cultivator and some samples of magic users, including some hairs from Rezo, the Red Priest! It wasn't long before I possessed the combined abilities of the some of the strongest magic users in the world! But that is nowhere enough! In order to regain my true power, and take my place as ruler of this world, I will need a catalyst to unlock my potential. These stones shall suffice! Now, surrender the stones and I promise that you won't suffer too much before you die!" Phibrizzo's hands began to glow with an ominous light. 

Lina didn't need anyone telling her that this was bad. Even though Phibrizzo's power wasn't anywhere near what it had been, if he had been telling the truth that he possessed the combined powers of some of the greatest magic users in the world, including Rezo, then she was in trouble! It was made even worse as her powers had not fully returned. She was just getting over 'that time of the month' and she wouldn't be back up to snuff until the next day. Phibrizzo had a clear advantage in this case. 

Amelia wasted no time into going into her 'Defender of Justice' routine as she struck a pose and said, "You will not have these stones! Not while I, Amelia of Sailoon draws breath to stop your evil and nefarious plans! It is time for you to be smited by the Hammer of Justice!" 

"Oh please, spare me!" Phibrizzo sneered as he raised a hand and fired off a huge blast of elderitch energy. 

The girls were just able to dodge that blast, which smashed into the crystal container that contained the stones. The crystal did not shatter as it had been protected by the strongest white and shamanist magics available in Sailoon. The explosion the blast caused, hadn't gone unnoticed. 

The four Ranmas were instantly alerted to the explosion and began running toward the scene of the commotion. The sounds also awoke Zelgadis and Gourry and after throwing on their clothes, they too began racing toward the vault, along with the palace guards. They ran into Syphiel, who had been wandering around the halls after detecting B-Ranma's presence. 

"FIREBALL!" 

Phibrizzo simply swatted away Lina's projectile as if he were swatting away a fly. "Is that the best you can do?" The fireball exploded against a wall, causing another massive explosion. "I didn't even feel that one and that was nowhere near as stong as what you are capable of." 

"Why… you!" Lina snarled as she really hated to be reminded at how weak her spells were in her present condition. 

"ELMEKIA LANCE!"Amelia shouted as she attacked from one side. However, Phibrizzo simply faded from view just as the blast reached him. It missed him to explode harmlessly off to the other side. To her horror, Phibrizzo reappeared behind Lina! 

"Miss Lina! Look out!" 

"Huh? Arrgggghhhhh!" Lina was caught off guard and her reflexes were still under par in her condition. She was unable to move fast enough as Phibrizzo raised a hand an pointed with his index finger. A ribbon of light shot forward like a snake and coiled around Lina's neck and tightened. It felt like a hangman's noose as Lina began gasping for air. She felt her body being levitated of the ground she struggled to get free. Phibrizzo merely tightened his spell's grip around her neck as he began to slowly squeeze the life out odf her. 

"I'll save you! FLARE…" 

Phibrizzo smiled as he simply levitated Lina in front of him and said, "Uh uh! Sure you want to do that?" 

Amelia halted in her attack as she saw that Lina was in her direct line of fire. 

Phibrizzo smiled as he looked up at the struggling sorceress. "Now why is it that you can't free yourself from such a simple spell, Lina Inverse? And why is it that your fireball was much weaker than before?" He grinned as he scanned her body as her face began to turn blue. "Oh, I see. It must be 'that time of the month!' No wonder! Oh well, all the better for me!" 

Lina was mortified at Phibrizzo's discovery as she began to see her life flash before her eyes. She tried to focus and initiate a spell to get her out of this predicament, but Phibrizzo wasn't letting up. 

"I made the mistake of toying with you the last time we met, Lina Inverse. Although it would be more amusing to torture you slowly and very painfully, I really do not have the time, so I'm going to do this quck!" He gestured over to where the crystal had fallen and levitated it to his side. "It's the not the revenge I wanted, but it'll have to suffice. Goodbye, Lina Inverse!" 

"MISS LINA!" Amelia was about to take a chance and cast a spell as Phibrizzo was about to command his noose to squeeze until Lina's head popped like a champagne cork. At that moment, Zelgadis, Gourry, and Syphiel burst into the vault, but were stopped short at the sight of Lina's imminent death. 

"RAGING TIGER BOLT!" 

Phibrizzo was distracted when he heard that voice and saw an oval-shaped blast of energy streak toward him. He was a bit mystified as the blast was not of any magic he knew. He then used a free hand to bat the thing away, but winced as it actually made his hand sting. Then he was suddenly shot in the chest and arms by strange beams of power, making him lose his concentration of his hold on Lina. The energy noose disappeared and Lina dropped to the floor, gasping for breath while rubbing her neck. She looked behind her and saw Phibrizzo's body jerking under the impact of power beams as they shot at him repeatedly. She then looked in the direction of where those attacks were coming from. Her eyes widened as she saw T-Ranma blasting away with a pair M-940 particle beam rifles. She then saw B-Ranma rush forward and make a thrity-foot leap upwards while cupping his hands and drawing them back. An orb of blue energy appeared between his palms with white swirls as he locked onto Phibrizzo's energy. Kojiro raced forward and swept her into his arms to get her out of the way. 

"SPIRIT SEEKER!" 

The blue ball streaked forward and elongated into a comet that streaked toward him. He had to raise a barrier to deflect T-Ranma's assualt and thought that it would be enough to stop the blind fighter's technique as well. However, to his surprise, the projectile simply made a sharp turn to avoid the barrier completely and then made a wide turn before aiming at his unprotected back. Phibrizzo changed tactics and disappered again. T-Ranma's particle beams passed though empty air and B-Ranma's attack went flying as it had no target. Or so it seemed. It then looped toward an area on the right near the ceiling, just as Phibrizzo reappeared. He gave a yelp of surprise as he saw the missle heading toward him again. He repeated his vainishing trick and then reappeared somewhere else. However, the projectile relentlessly pursued him each time he disappeared and reappeared. He tried shooting it down, but the dammned ki blast just evaded each counterblast and defense tactic he used. Soon it became a deadly game of tag in the air. 

B-Ranma frowned. This was taking too long. Then he got an idea. 

"All of you, start firing at him! Keep him moving!" 

The other three Ranmas wondered just what he was talking about as B-Ranma drew back his cupped hands and launched yet another Spirit Seeker. Followed by another, and then another. 

"SPIRIT SEEKER! SPIRIT SEEKER! SPIRIT SEEKER!" 

Three more homing ki blasts went upward, adding to the first one and Phibrizzo became hard-pressed to evade them all. He sufficiently getting mad as he weaved in and out. 

T-Ranma nodded as his scanners began to read the blazing heat aura being emitted by an enraged Hellmaster. He then saw B-Ranma starting to move in a sprial and emitting a kind of calmness that made him seem as cold as ice. He smiled as he got the idea. "Do as he says guys! Let's turn up the heat!" He then made a pair of shoulder-mounted plasma cannons appear and started blasting away. The other two Ranmas followed suit with Raging Tiger Bolts, Cat's Eye Beams and Dragon Fire attacks. 

"What are they doing?" Lina asked as she was being tended to by Sylphiel. The others were all standing by in amazement as the four Ranmas took Hellmaster head on. 

By now, Phibrizzo was so enraged that he decided to finish off the little gnats that dared to attack him. He would start with the one who sent those dammed energy torpedoes at him. Diving down toward B-Ranma with a blazing aura, he saw that his opponent had suddenly stopped in his maneuvers and was now standing at the center of a spiral. He wondered just why the Unseen Light fighter was just standing there, but he wasn't going to look a sitting duck in the mouth. He was about to release a blast of pure dark magic to totally incinerate him, when it happened… 

"HIRYU SHOTEN HA!!!!" 

Phibrizzo was totally caught off guard as B-Ranma demonstrated one of the most powerful techniques of the Joketsuzoku; the Rising Dragon Ascension Wave. He was caught in a huge cyclone as his blazing aura had made contact with B-Ranma's Soul of Ice uppercut. As he was tossed about in the winds like a leaf, he found out that the mnore he used his power, the more it was drained. His host body was being sapped of its strength and then he saw something that made him whimper a bit. B-Ranma's homing blasts came right at him. All four detonated against him, making him scream out as they exploded, causing both physical and spiritual damage. They hurt a lot worse than the Raging Tiger Bolt. 

The others had to duck for cover as the winds buffeted the vault room and blasted through the roof. Treasures were scattered around and the entire room shook so hard, that it seemed as if it would collapse at any moment. However, it held on until the winds finally died down. When it was all over, they picked themselves off the floor and stared in a mazement at B-Ranma, who had been standing the middle of that tornado. Aside from a few rips in his shirt, he was relatively unscathed. 

Phibrizzo's battered and beaten body landed off to one side with a heavy thump. He seemed to be no longer a threat as he moaned in pain and was barely able to move. B-Ranma's technique had almost drained him to almost nothing. It was then that fate decided to deal our heroes a bad hand. 

The Hiryu Shoten Ha had swept up a lot of objects in its winds, including a certain crystal box. All the pounding it took had taxed its protective magic to the limit and it smashed open right on top of Phibrizzo's body. The fragile crystals within were reduced to tiny shards which coated the villain's body. He began to glow with renewed energy and began to chuckle ominously. 

"No! The stones!" Amelia cried out. 

T-Ranma blanched as his scanners began reading Phibrizzo's new power levels. "Damn! That was pure Kerium! He's absorbed the ore into his system and now he's tapping into extra-dimensional energies!" 

"Such… power… unbelievable!" Phibrizzo rose as the wounds he sustained suddenly disappeared. He began emitting power at a fantastic rate that T-Ranma's scanners were in danger of overloading. "The power I… had before my demise was nothing… compared to this! I am no longer just Hellmaster Phibrizzo… I… am… Phibrizzo, the Ultimate Lord of Chaos! Let this world… tremble at my might! Let all bow down before me before I give them the sweet kiss of oblivion! The Giga Slave is as nothing to me now! I am DESTRUCTION INCARNATE!" 

With these words, he blasted upward into the sky, making the ground tremble for hundreds of miles around with a massive shockwave. Buildings began to collapse under the sudden earthquake and the citizens of Sailoon and the countryside were roused from their slumber. As they looked into the sky, they saw a huge flash of white light as Hellmaster streaked overhead, totally insane with power. A feeling of foreboding doom washed over them and they weren't very far off. Armageddon was close at hand. 

Down at the ruins of the castle, Prince Philionel and his royal guards rushed to where the mighty treasure vault had once stood. He caught sight of his daughter and her friends and rushed toward them. 

"Amelia, just WHAT IS GOING ON?!" 

Amelia could just shake her head in total disbelief as she stared at the huge ball of light in the sky. 

"Ranma, just what is going on?" Kojiro asked. 

T-Ranma sighed as he relayed the results of his biocomputer's analysis. "That Phibrizzo character has just absorbed enough unstable Kerium to become a walking time bomb! There's enough raw power in him to destroy this world and a fair amount of its system ten times over!" 

Lina and her crew didn't understand most of T-Ranma's exlanation, but they did get the part about world destruction. 

"Unstable?" D-Ranma said. 

"Yes. Not only is the Kerium allowing him to draw on extra-dimensional sources to repower himself, but it's also generating his energies toward infinite capacity. It won't long before his body can no longer contain that power. Usually, refined Kerium is stable and will decrystallize if overtaxed, like the one in my ship did. This Kerium however, will destabilize and cause a super-massive explosion! Hell, a single crystal the size of a pebble could take out an entire mountain range! With all the energies that he's siphoning off from subspace, the explosion will be multiplied a thousand times! By my estimates, he'll blow in five minutes." 

"So we got five minutes before saying hello to oblivion." B-Ranma said simply as he and his comrades looked up toward the power-maddened Hellmaster. 

To be continued… 

Author's Notes

Well, the four Ranmas are about to leave this Slayers World with a bang! Let's hope there will be something left when it's all over. 


	5. Chapter 3 (part 2)

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi was the one who got me started with writing fanfics. You can put the blame on her and all the others who caused my addiction to anime. 

Italic: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech 

D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child 

B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury 

**From Part One:** The four Ranmas had managed to sneak into the castle of Sailoon and were just a stone's throw away from getting the Kerium they needed to escape from the world of Slayers, when they had run into an old enemy of Lina Inverse's. During the battle that ensued, B-Ranma had managed to use the Hiryu Shoten Ha technique on Hellmaster Phibrizzo, with very disastrous results. Now a super-enhanced and highly unstable Phibrizzo is about to explode and destroy the Slayers World, along with the solar system of the planet. 

**Chapter 3 **

Part 2 

The Big Bang 

_Computer, give me the current status report on the ship._

The biocomputer in T-Ranma's head began feeding him data. (*At present time, the ship has completed all structural repairs. Power levels are at 67%. Navigational and impulse drives are fully functional. Weapon systems are at 80%*) 

_Scanners indicate that Phibrizzo has just passed the ionosphere of this planet. Is space flight possible? Can we pursue him?_

(*Affirmative. However, with the current situation, pursuit of subject Phibrizzo is an unfeasible plan because the subject has absorbed high amounts of unstable Kerium. We can overtake him, but there is no time to prevent him from reaching infinite capacity. At his current rate of quantum energy absorption, he will go critical in four minutes and thirty-three seconds. *) 

T-Ranma nodded as he looked up at the bright spot high in the sky. Phibrizzo resembled a flickering star and could be seen with the naked eye, although he was now thousands of miles in space. Though he usually drew his power from the mystical forces of this world, the unstable Kerium he had absorbed was now allowing him to tap into the quantum energies of subspace. He was like a sponge. He was soaking up power like water and it would not be pretty when that sponge overflowed. There had to be some way to at least slow him down. The T-Ranma got an idea and used the biocomputer's cyberlink with his craft. 

On the outskirts of Sailoon, the spaceship automatically dropped its cloaking field and began powering up its engines. It was soon airborne and used its homing equipment to fly to T-Ranma's location. The citizens were put into a state of panic as they saw the otherworldly craft suddenly appear in the night sky. The moonlight glinted off its metal surface as the cruiser stopped over the damaged castle and hovered at about a height of a hundred feet or so. 

The nanotech warrior's cruiser was relatively small in comparison to others that he had encountered in his trek across the cosmos. It measured at two hundred and sixty yards in length and was about twenty feet high. Its general shape resembled that of an old SR-71 Blackbird Reconnaissance plane, but with much smoother lines. The main hyperlight drive was mounted in the back at the center. On either side of the main, elongated body, were twin nacelles that contained the sublight drives, which were built into the wing-like structures. Located at the top side toward the rear half of the ship was a low-silhouetted hump that housed the pilot cabin. The front end of the ship tapered off into a smooth point like a blade of a dagger. The ship's streamlined shape was aerodynamic and with special alloys coating the surfaces, it was able to slice through the thickest of planetary atmospheres with very little difficulty. 

T-Ranma smiled as he looked up at his craft and gave the metal order. Panels behind the pilot's cabin opened up and puffs of smoke were emitted as several missiles were launched and sent hurtling skyward at the distant twinkling dot in the heavens above. 

"What did you just do?" Kojiro asked as he and the others looked up. 

"Buying us some time." T-Ranma replied as he watched missiles streak up toward the distant light that marked where Phibrizzo was. 

Up in space, Phibrizzo was marveling at just how tiny and insignificant the world was below him as he continued to absorb more energy from subspace. The power he had possessed before his defeat from Lina Inverse was as nothing compared to what he was experiencing now. His body was literally overflowing with energy that he had never felt before and he felt as if he was going to explode from the sheer ecstasy. However, in just over three minutes, he would explode! 

It had not been that long ago that he had manipulated Lina Inverse into using the dreaded Giga Slave to bring about total chaos in the world. That plan had backfired and he had been nearly destroyed. Now, with the power he had, he could bring about utter destruction to the world without even half-trying! In addition, why stop there? His senses had become enhanced by the tremendous boost in energy and he could sense the presence of other worlds, light-years away. He could become the ravager of the stars with the entire cosmos as his playground. So much havoc could be wreaked in this universe, and Phibrizzo had all eternity to do it. He was no longer even bound to his homeworld as the energies he absorbed made him totally self-sufficient. Nothing could stop him! 

It was at that moment that T-Ranma's missiles shot up from the atmosphere of the planet and began scattering. Phibrizzo looked down, saw the vapor trails being left by each projectile, and wondered what was going on. The missiles began flying around him in a wide formation and began circling the areas around him in wide arcs. 

The front of each missile opened to reveal reflective energy panels. Once they reached their preprogrammed coordinates, the projectiles stopped and began emitting intense beams of light to one another. Lines were made, forming a huge lattice of light. In less than a second, a huge network that looked like a technological spider's web was formed. The gigantic mesh of energy beams began glowing brighter and Phibrizzo suddenly felt his energy levels dropping. He then realized that these strange devices must be sapping his power somehow. He also noticed that the energy web had put itself between himself and the Slayers World. Well if those humans below think that these puny devices are going to stop him, then they were mistaken. He let loose with a huge blast of quantum energy at the planet. The attack was the equivalent of a hundred Dragon Slave spells. 

The blast hit the energy network hard, but to Hellmaster's surprise, the barrier held and absorbed the energy. He then let loose with another blast, this time it was strong enough to split a planet in half. The barrier once gain absorbed the energy, but shuddered under the impact. Phibrizzo became enraged and began to continually hurl more powerful energy at the strange barrier. However, the energy mesh remained defiant and continued to protect the world below. When the maximum energy absorption level of the missiles had been reached, they responded by redirecting the attacks back at Phibrizzo. After Hellmaster fired an especially powerful blast, he was caught off guard as the attack came rebounding back at him. He could not get out of the way in time and all that power slammed into him and sent him flying back. 

On the planet, T-Ranma allowed a cautious smile as he saw that the energy barrier was holding. The people of Sailoon were staring at the huge crisscrossing lines and bright flares of light that streaked across the sky. They did not know what to make of it and had assumed that the world was about to end, which was not too far from the truth. 

"What's going on?" D-Ranma asked. "What is that?" 

"A modified energy web barrier." T-Ranma asked as he signaled his ship to pick up him and his companions. "I picked up the technology from the Tholians. It won't stop Phibrizzo from reaching critical, but it will slow down his power buildup by draining some of the excess energy he's emitting. He won't explode for another two hours, at best." 

"So now what?" B-Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma motioned toward the ship as it landed and said, "The forcefield projectors won't last long if Phibrizzo keeps on blasting the barrier. Once they're down, he'll start absorbing quantum energy again and go up like a supernova. We have to go up there and destroy him before that happens!" 

"But how?" 

T-Ranma shrugged. "I'm… still working on that part." 

As the four Ranmas began heading toward the ship, Lina Inverse and her group blocked their path. All four tensed up and became wary of any attacks. 

"Now hold on just a minute! You four have a lot of explaining to do!" Lina said. 

"We don't have the time!" T-Ranma growled. "Unless you want your world destroyed, you'll get out of our way!" 

"No way! You're not going anywhere until we get some answers!" Lina and the others began getting ready to attack. 

"We don't have time for this!" T-Ranma shouted. _Computer! Sonic Blast!_

(*Acknowledged. *) 

T-Ranma slammed his palms together in front of him while focusing his ki. The energy was converted into sound as his hands clapped together at supersonic speeds. This caused a controlled sonic boom that was emitted forward toward the Lina and her crew. 

The red-haired sorceress and her companions were caught off guard from the massive sound detonation and were covering their ears. The ground rumbled and the walls shook from the sudden displacement of air. They all crouched down and all four Ranmas took this opportunity to rush toward the ship. Luckily, the sound had been directed away from them so B-Ranma, D-Ranma and Kojiro's sensitive hearing were not affected. 

Just as the first of the dimensional Ranmas entered the craft, Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis were the first to recover from the sonic boom. 

"Oh no you don't!" Lina said as she began rushing after them, followed by the two sword wielders. 

The three made a mad dash toward the ship, but just missed getting inside as the hatch closed up. They jumped back as the ship suddenly powered up its engines and began lifting off. Lina made a mad grab for one of the landing struts, just as it was retracting into its housing. 

"Lina!" Gourry shouted as he too leapt up. He too managed to grab onto the strut and the two were drawn into the ship as it sealed itself up, and then suddenly accelerated upward in an instant. 

Zelgadis was left behind and was staring in disbelief, as the craft was instantly a tiny speck in the sky. 

Amelia and the others were just getting up when they too caught sight of the departing ship. It soon disappeared from view. 

It was at that moment that they all heard insane laughter coming from the entrance of the castle vault. 

"OH HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO! Can anyone tell me where Lina Inverse is?" 

Amelia and her friends all turned around at the sound of the voice and saw a scantily clad and well-endowed sorceress, who also happened to be Lina Inverse's most annoying acquaintance. 

Meanwhile, somewhere outside of the planet's atmosphere… 

"Damn! We've got some stowaways!" T-Ranma gritted as he looked at the monitor and saw that Lina and Gourry had been taken along for the ride. "Engage autopilot!" T-Ranma activated the ship's auto-control before leaving the pilot's seat and headed toward the forward section. 

"What is it?" D-Ranma said as he looked at the monitor. 

"We seem to have two unwanted passengers." B-Ranma stated. 

"How do you know?" Kojiro asked as he gazed at the monitor. 

B-Ranma shrugged. "I sensed their presence." 

"Oh hell! It's those two!" Kojiro recognized the images of Lina and Gourry on the screen. He remembered the kind of trouble they caused when they last met. 

"Oh no!" D-Ranma agreed as he recognized them. 

B-Ranma said nothing as he simply cocked his head to one side and waited. The monitor then went off as T-Ranma entered the area where Lina and Gourry were and fired off a couple of stun blasts. 

A few minutes later, Lina's screams of outrage were heard from behind the door to the pilot's cabin. The door then swished open, and two people in magno-shackles were unceremoniously dumped onto the floor of the cabin. Both Lina and Gourry's hands were bound together by thick metal bracelets. The manacles were not connected by chains, but by a magnetic field that kept them firmly pressed together. Their legs also had metal braces that also fused themselves together with the arm braces. 

"Oof!" Lina mad a hard landing on her rear. Gourry landed on his side, but also let off a moan of pain. The two found themselves side-by-side. "Why you…! I'm going to…!" 

"You'll do nothing but shut up and let us try to save your world!" T-Ranma snapped as he returned to the pilot's seat. 

Lina was not listening as she struggled at her bonds. She could not understand why her powers were not responding now. Sure she was still feeling the effects of 'that time of the month,' but she had begun to regain her magic that evening. She wondered if these strange restraining devices had something to do with it. Maybe they were like that magic inhibitor that bandit had tried to put on her. 

"Can't you use your magic?" Gourry whispered as he too tried to get free. T-Ranma had ambushed them so fast that he didn't even have time to draw the Sword of Light. The nanotech soldier had taken the weapon away from after binding Gourry and Lina. 

"I… can't…" Lina strained as she tried to call up any of her magical reserves. 

"Oh yeah, I forgot. It's still that time of the month. OW!" 

Lina slammed her head against Gourry's when she noticed that B-Ranma had heard his comment and started walking toward them. "He didn't need to know about THAT!" 

B-Ranma gave the two a warm smile as he crouched down and addressed Lina. "That time of the month? I suspected that something like that was happening to you. You had all the signs." 

"Huh? What are you talking about? How would you know about…?" Lina blushed red with embarrassment and then got angry when she realized what she was admitting to. "Never mind! None of your business!" 

B-Ranma continued to smile as he used his senses to probe her. It was not something that he had not encountered before. After all, he was a healer from a village of Amazons. He knew exactly how cranky a female could get during this time. Fortunately, he also knew of a way to alleviate Lina's discomfort. 

He extended a hand toward Lina and placed it on her forehead. 

"Huh? W-What are you doing…?" 

The blind Ranma said not a word as he began focusing his ki into her. Lina Inverse suddenly felt a warm and very soothing sensation that spread through her body and the menstrual cramps she had been experiencing began to fade. He then took his other hand and applied several quick pressure point strikes to her lower back and thighs. Almost instantly, her nausea and bloated feelings disappeared. 

The Unseen Light fighter nodded his head as he removed his hands and asked, "How was that?" 

Lina was shocked to feel surprisingly refreshed. This person had done what the greatest of white magic users and mages could not. No one, not even Sylphiel, had found a way to circumvent that 'time of the month!' Female magic users had been resigned to wait until their menstrual cycles were over before using their powers again. 

"H-How did you…?" 

B-Ranma shrugged as he replied, "Something I learned from a great yoga master. Anyway, I'm sure those shackles are quite uncomfortable." He then extended a finger and touched the surface of one of the bindings. He focused his ki into it and the shackles opened when their unlocking mechanisms were forced. 

Lina immediately got to her feet and took a spell-casting stance. She then shouted out, "FIREBALL!" 

As she shouted out, the other three Ranmas tensed up. They had been watching the viewing monitor and had not been paying attention to their captives. They were very surprised to see Lina free. They had expected the pilot's cabin to explode into flames, but that did not occur. 

B-Ranma shrugged as he simply brushed aside Lina's projectile with a wave of his staff. The very flimsy-looking projectile was dispersed into a gentle puff of smoke. There was only a brief sensation of heat when the fireball disappeared. 

Lina was confused. Why was her fireball so weak? She was over that 'time of the month.' She tried again. "FIREBALL!" This time, there was just a slight spark emitted from her outstretched hands, then poof. 

B-Ranma slowly shook her head and said. "Forget it, Miss Inverse. I already sensed that you wouldn't be able to cast very strong spells. Otherwise, I wouldn't have released you." 

"You let her go?!" D-Ranma said in disbelief. 

"Don't worry about it." The blind fighter waved it off as he addressed Lina again. "I may have taken care of that little problem of yours, but I knew that you still wouldn't be able to use magic effectively. I sensed a very low level of residual mystical energy in you, probably built up from over the years of magic using." 

D-Ranma became cautious as he used his own powers of magical perception. He then looked in surprise as he said, "Wait a second! You're right! She has barely enough magic in her to do a lighting spell! What gives?" The dragon warrior then scanned himself and was relieved to find that he still had normal levels of magic within himself. Unlike the magic users of Lina's world, D-Ranma's powers did not depend solely on drawing power from beings such as Shabranigdo and such. His was more based on converting the vast amounts of ki and mana energy that he had built up from living in the Dragon World. His body was like a living battery that constantly replenished itself. 

Lina looked down at her hands and tried call up her powers. However, she had very little response. She then looked up with a bit of fear and said, "What's… going on?" B-Ranma cocked his head for a moment, then addressed his technological counterpart. "How far out in space are we?" 

"Space?" Lina asked, then looked out the front windshield. She gasped as she saw the canopy of stars before her, then became white as she saw the monitor, which depicted the retreating image of her homeworld. 

"We're about sixty thousand kilometers from the planet's surface." 

"I thought so." B-Ranma shrugged, then turned back to Lina. Sensing her confusion and fear, he decided to put it in the simplest way he knew. "We happen to be a long distance away from your world and the energy sources that feed your powers. That's the reason why your magic doesn't work right." 

Lina barely heard B-Ranma's explanation as she continued to stare at the viewer. "W-W-What is that?" Lina pointed to the image. It seemed familiar to her, but she had only seen such landmasses on crude maps and such. 

T-Ranma shook his head and sighed. He should have realized that the people of this world were probably still exploring their own planet, judging by their lack of technology. They perceived things by their superstitions and magical means. Heck, they probably still believed that the world was flat and that they'd fall off the edge of the world if they sailed over the horizon. Seeing her home from beyond orbit was probably a huge shock to Lina. 

B-Ranma sensed her confusion and said, "Look, we really don't have time to go into all the details, but we really are trying to save your world." He then addressed his technological counterpart. "How long will it be before we catch up with Phibrizzo?" 

"At our current rate of speed, twenty minutes." 

"Okay, I'll give you the Reader's Digest version of our story." 

"The what?" Lina asked. 

"Excuse me? Can someone please get me out of these things?" Gourry asked from the floor. 

Twenty minutes later… 

"So let me get this straight." Lina said as B-Ranma and the others finished their explanations. "You four are from different worlds who ended up on our world by mistake and need those special stones of Sailoon to get home, right?" 

"That's right." B-Ranma said. 

"And you're telling us, that since Phibrizzo is now using the stones to tap into unlimited energy from this place, he's going to lose control and destroy that place down there." Lina pointed to the screen. "You say that round thing is really our world and that we're just very high above it?" 

"That's about right." T-Ranma agreed. 

"And you're saying that bright thing over there is our sun?" Gourry pointed to the ball of light displayed on the left of the monitor. "That can't be right. It was night time when we left." 

"Well, it's night time on your side of the planet, but it's day on the other side." 

"Huh?" 

T-Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Look, we really don't have time to explain basic concepts about your planet to you, so just take our word for it. Besides, we're just about to encounter Phibrizzo now." 

The nanotech martial artist called up a holographic image of where Phibrizzo was blasting away at the barrier. Lina and Gourry were fixated on the seemingly magical scene, which depicted Hellmaster emitting overwhelming amounts of energy at a seemingly impenetrable force field. T-Ranma looked down at his readouts on the console and frowned. 

"Damn! Hellmaster is absorbing quantum energy at a faster rate than estimated. The barrier won't hold for much longer! He'll break through in a matter of minutes and when he does, he'll go up like a supernova! All that energy he expended so far has just speeded up the process!" 

"So now what?" Kojiro asked. 

"What's going on?" Lina asked with a bit of fear. She had never seen Hellmaster like this before. He had been a formidable adversary before when she had been forced to use the Giga Slave to defeat him. Now he appeared to be unstoppable. He was literally ready to burst with energies that she had never seen before. The way he was blasting away at the strange-looking barrier was mind boggling! How could she stop something like that when her magical powers were at less than zero? There was just nothing that could be done. If what these people were telling her was true, then this truly was to be Armageddon. 

T-Ranma looked down at the readouts, then said to his counterparts. "We do have one chance. The Annihilator." 

"Your anti-matter cannon?" D-Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma nodded. "I think I can use it to counter all that quantum energy and destroy Phibrizzo for good. Only problem is, Phibrizzo probably just won't hold still long enough for me to power up to destroy him. We need to keep him busy long enough for me to calibrate the Annihilator to the right setting. If I use too high a level, I may just end up destroying this system anyway. If I use too low a level, then it won't be enough to do the job and Phibrizzo will still explode and destroy us all." 

"Excuse me, but what's this Annihilator?" Lina asked. 

"It's the same weapon I used against your Dragon Slave." T-Ranma explained as he began maneuvering his ship around the barrier. "I only used it at one billionth of its maximum power." 

"One… b-billionth?" Lina eeped. She remembered just how destructive that strange weapon was. If that was only one billionth of its power, then she was very lucky indeed to have survived even that small fraction. 

T-Ranma waved it off as he said to his counterparts. "Look, Lina and her friend here aren't much use to us in space. Looks like it's up to us to destroy Phibrizzo. Problem is, I'm the only one that can go out there in the vacuum of space. I can't distract Phibrizzo and set the Annihilator at the same time." 

"I'll take on Phibrizzo." D-Ranma volunteered. 

"You?" 

D-Ranma smiled as he said, "I can go out in space as well." 

"How? You'll need a protective suit. There's no oxygen out there and the vacuum would cause your body to implode." 

D-Ranma shook his head and said, "Trust me. I'll do fine. Just let me out of your airlock. How long do you need to have him distracted?" 

The futuristic Ranma looked back at the monitor. "About five minutes." 

"How can we help?" Kojiro asked. 

T-Ranma looked at his other two dimensional selves and thought for a moment. He then placed a hand on the console and the controls began lighting up. "I'm giving the both of you temporary control of navigation and weapon systems. Can you guys give support to our dragon friend here?" 

"Dragon?" Lina asked. 

"You bet!" Kojiro jumped into one of the seats in front of the firing controls for the meson torpedoes, lasers and particle cannons. 

B-Ranma sat in front of navigation and the targeting controls. To his amazement, as soon as he placed his hands on the panel, his senses came alive with new images collected from the ship's sensor arrays. It was if his sixth and seventh senses had been increased a thousand-fold. 

T-Ranma smiled as he explained. "I had taken into account of your enhanced senses and cybernetically linked the sensors and navigational systems. You'll be able to pilot this ship as easily as a sighted person. You'll also be able to aim the weapon systems with Kojiro as your gunner. Okay, are we all set?" 

"Ready!" The others chorused. 

"Hey, what about us?" Lina asked. 

T-Ranma gave Gourry and Lina a stern look. "Just stay out of the way." He then joined D-Ranma as they rushed toward the airlock. 

A minute later, in the airlock in one of the bottom sections of the ship, T-Ranma was suiting up. Giving the mental command to his cyberweave armor, the technowarrior was encased in a tight-fitting body suit of black with a full headmask and red visor. He then gave another mental command. 

_Computer, Exo-Armor. Phase I._

(*Affirmative. *) 

Instantly, components began to appear and adhere to the body suit. Gauntlets appeared and adhered to his forearms. Chest and leg armor soon followed. A helmet also materialized and set itself on T-Ranma's head. The visor of his body suit merged with the blast shields of the helmet. Additional segments of armor and thruster boots appeared to adhere to their owner. Finally, a combination weapons and thruster module appeared on the back. 

When the armor finished attaching itself, the nanotech soldier turned to his comrade, who was powering up a protective aura of ki and magic. "Are you ready?" 

D-Ranma nodded and said, "Make sure you are far enough away when I transform." 

"Transform?" 

D-Ranma nodded. "You'll see." 

T-Ranma looked strangely at his friend, then slowly nodded as he realized what the dragon warrior meant. He then gave the mental order to open the airlock. 

On the bridge, the two Ranmas and their unwanted passengers watched as two figures shot out in front from beneath the ship. One of those figures was an armored individual they recognized as T-Ranma. With back and foot thrusters flaring, he streaked off to take up a position a couple thousands of meters behind where Phibrizzo was still blasting away at the barrier. 

The other person was enveloped in a corona of energy as he flew toward the power-mad Hellmaster. His energies then suddenly exploded in a flare of light and his body became a solid mass of light. Then it began to change its shape. 

It became longer and much, much larger as the people on board the ship and T-Ranma watched in awe. The shape then had two protrusions forming where the shoulders would be, and the body took on a quadraped form. Then, the light faded, revealing the transformed D-Ranma in all his glory! 

"HOLY…! HE'S A DRAGON!!!" Kojiro exclaimed. 

B-Ranma's boosted senses were almost put into overload from the sudden influx of magical and ki energies. 

D-Ranma now measured more than one hundred and twenty feet from snout to tail. He resembled the Black Dragons of Lina's world, but his scales were blue with silver highlights. His head resembled a cross between the dragons of Western and Chinese folklore. He had wing-like protrusions that framed the sides of his face and sparse hairs near the temples. The claws on his feet were huge and could easily crush a tank like tinfoil. His large, bat-like wings gave him tremendous thrust as he sped toward Phibrizzo like a nuclear missile. Although he was in airless space, for some unknown reason, his wings functioned as if he was flying through the atmosphere. He was probably using his magical and ki abilities to propel him across the vacuum of space. 

T-Ranma had positioned himself behind Phibrizzo with the moon of the Slayers world behind him. He too was awestruck at the sudden transformation of D-Ranma. He could see how the dragon warrior could survive in airless space. Those thick scales and magical abilities of his were more than enough for him to withstand the cold void. However, he shook it off and called forth his Annihilator. When the huge weapon of destruction appeared on his arm, he began scanning Phibrizzo's current energy absorption rate as he started building up power. 

D-Ranma led off the assault by opening his mouth and let loose with a huge stream of mystic, blue-white fire. Phibrizzo so engrossed with breaking through the barrier that he almost didn't notice the attack. He turned around at the last second, only to be engulfed in the flames. However, he emerged unscathed and enraged as he retaliated with another power blast. The dragon just barely managed to avoid taking the full brunt of the attack, but was clipped in the right wing. The huge beast howled in pain, though his scream went unheard in space. 

"Open fire!" Kojiro shouted as he launched a barrage of meson torpedoes and other projectile weapons. 

Guided by B-Ranma's boosted senses, the weapons homed in on their target and detonated with large explosions. However, Phibrizzo shook them off and began hurling massive energy bolts at the ship. B-Ranma did his best in putting the craft through evasive maneuvers, but several blasts managed to glance off the protective shields. The vessel shuddered and trembled under the impacts and threatened to break apart. Fortunately, with his attention turned on his attackers, Phibrizzo had temporarily left the barrier alone, which continued to sap away his power. Otherwise, those attacks would have reduced both D-Ranma and the ship into subatomic particles. 

T-Ranma gritted his teeth as he saw the pounding his counterparts were taking. Then an indicator lit up on the readouts of his helmet. The power levels of Phibrizzo had been estimated and were now feeding the data he needed to set the Annihilator. 

_Computer, set for one thousandth of maximum payload._

(*Affirmative. *) 

The super anti-matter cannon began to whine and build up power for its devastating blast. 

On the battlefront, D-Ranma and the others were still pressing their attacks on Phibrizzo with very little success. As the dragon swooped in for another pass, Phibrizzo let loose a huge torrent of energy that was simply too large for the massive lizard to dodge. D-Ranma took the full force of the blast in the chest, and was sent flying backward. He writhed in pain as his body began to glow and shrink. 

B-Ranma immediately discerned what was happening to their comrade as the ship's sensors detected the sudden drop in the dragon's power levels. 

"We have to get him back on board the ship!" B-Ranma screamed. "He won't survive if he changes back to his human form!" 

"What can we do?" Kojiro began to panic. 

B-Ranma extended his senses into the ship's systems and had the answer. "On your right, there should be a switch that activates the emergency transporter beam! I'll feed you the coordinates!" 

Using his extraordinary abilities and the ship's sensor arrays, he managed to discern D-Ranma's position and feed them into the transporter controls. Kojiro immediately switched it on. 

Lina and Gourry were amazed to see the human form of D-Ranma suddenly disappear from the star-laden background of space, then suddenly reappear in a flash of red light on the bridge. The dragon warrior had some frost forming on his face, arms and chest when he rematerialized. 

"H-How did you…?" Lina stuttered. 

B-Ranma ignored her question as he got up and went over to where his counterpart was lying down and checked for vital signs. He was soon rewarded with a pulse and breath sounds. Though his skin was like a dragon's hide, D-Ranma had been pulled out of space just in time before his human body froze and suffocated. However, in their concern over their friend, the two Ranmas, Lina Inverse and Gourry were now sitting ducks. 

Phibrizzo smiled evilly as he prepared to blast the annoying gnats into oblivion. However, that was when T-Ranma's Annihilator opened fire. 

Phibrizzo turned around in time to see the instrument of his final destruction release a sizzling beam of pure anti-matter at him. 

In the airless void of space, his final anguished scream was never heard. 

The ship's indicators went on full alert as the beam struck its target. The automatic controls took over and maneuvered the craft away from the resulting explosion. The shields were cycled to maximum strength and protective anti-glare visors slid into place to protect the passengers from going blind. The spaceship was thrown about like a leaf in a storm as the shockwaves from the explosion rippled the space around it. Energy flares were emitted from the center of Phibrizzo's destruction and lashed out in all directions. The barrier that had held out for so long finally buckled under the strain. However, it did prevent any errant blasts from striking the Slayers World. 

T-Ranma was furthest away from the blast when it happened so he was able to use his armor's protective force field to shield him from the shockwaves. However, he gave out a cry of disbelief when he saw one bolt of quantum energy strike the moon and shear off a chunk of it. The fragment had been one of the many mountains that littered the cratered surface of the moon and was about twenty miles across. It then began tumbling through space on a collision course, with the Slayers World! 

"No! No! This can't be happening!" 

When the worst of the blast finally faded away, the people inside the ship picked themselves off the floor of the bridge. They had been tossed about inside the craft as if they were inside a pinball machine. As they painfully picked themselves up, B-Ranma made his way to the sensor controls. A moment later, he gave off a happy cry. 

"We did it! Phibrizzo IS GONE!" 

The others rushed over to the monitors and began giving cheers. Hellmaster was indeed destroyed and there was no trace of him whatsoever. The quantum energies that he had absorbed had been dispersed by the Annihilator's beam. 

"I don't believe it. They did it." Lina said in awe. 

"Yeah, they really did it." Gourry agreed as he rubbed a red handprint on his cheek. When they had been tossed about in the ship, the swordsman had landed on top of his companion and inadvertently grabbed one of her breasts. Lina of course, reacted in her usual manner. 

The two began joining the others in their cheers, when T-Ranma suddenly entered the bridge. He had disabled his Exo-Armor after entering the ship's airlock, and took his position at the pilot's seat. He then punched in his commands and the ship began speeding forward. 

"Guys, we're not out of the woods yet!" 

The cheering suddenly stopped as the others looked at the nanotech warrior. 

"What do you mean? We stopped Phibrizzo from exploding and destroyed him!" Kojiro exclaimed. 

"Yeah, but now we have to deal with that." T-Ranma pointed to the huge chunk of moon rock that was hurtling toward the planet. 

"What the…? What is that?" D-Ranma said. Thanks to his dragon heritage, he was now starting to recover from his ordeal in space. 

T-Ranma frowned as he said, "When Phibrizzo was annihilated, a stray quantum bolt blasted a chunk of your world's moon off. That piece is like a huge asteroid! If we don't stop it, it'll crash into the world and cause huge amounts of dust and debris to be kicked up. The nuclear winter it will cause will doom the planet just as surely as Phibrizzo would have. Of course, thousands of people will perish at the point of impact and the natural disasters it will cause will kill even more!" 

Lina didn't know what the term 'nuclear winter' meant, but she had a pretty good idea what would happen if that huge rock hit her world. She had come across a similar situation when a floating island nearly flattened Sailoon. It had taken an amplified Dragon Slave to destroy the island, but with her powers diminished in space, she could not do the same as before. Furthermore, this chunk was far too large and she was very doubtful that she could destroy it with an amplified Dragon Slave. The only spell she knew that would be powerful enough was the Giga Slave and she was very reluctant to use that particular spell. 

"Can't you use the Annihilator?" Kojiro asked. 

T-Ranma shook his head. "I used up so much power to destroy Phibrizzo that it'll take the cannon three hours to replenish itself. That chunk of rock will hit the surface of the planet in five minutes! Right now, I'm hoping to use the ship's weaponry to destroy as much of the debris as possible and lessen the damage. However, there's not much else we can do." 

Kojiro and D-Ranma sadly nodded. The dragon warrior was still tired from his battle with Phibrizzo and there was not much that the Cat Fist could do against a threat this size. It seemed hopeless. 

"I might be able to destroy it." B-Ranma said quietly. 

Everyone looked at the blind martial artist with surprise, confusion, and a glimmer of hope. 

"What are you talking about?" T-Ranma asked. 

"Is it possible for the ship's transporter to get me down to the planet at the point where the meteor will strike?" 

One minute later… 

"Oh ho ho ho ho! Do you honestly expect me to believe such a preposterous story?" Naga scoffed after Zelgadis and Amelia had finished explaining what had happened. 

"It's the truth!" Amelia said to the over-endowed sorceress. 

Zelgadis was unnerved at the way she laughed and wondered just who this person was and her connection to Lina. He did notice the similarities between Naga and Amelia and wondered if they were related. He also noticed that Prince Phileonel was trying his best not to be noticed by this newcomer. 

After Lina and Gourry had gone on board that ship and disappeared into the sky, Naga had appeared and made this grand entrance about her being the most beautiful and more powerful rival of the flat-chested Lina Inverse. Then everyone's attention was caught as a tremendous flash of light appeared in the sky, temporarily turning night i to day. The lines of energy that had formed a network across the sky disappeared afterwards. 

Naga gave another one of her maniacal laughs, which sent more shivers down the Chimera's back. As the shaman/swordsman looked back at her, he couldn't help but notice how a certain part of her anatomy bounced when ever she laughed and… Zelgadis shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. 

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before them and temporarily blinded everyone present. When it faded away to reveal B-Ranma, Zelgadis, Amelia and Sylphiel instantly recognized him and went into spell-casting stances. 

"You again!" Zeldgadis hissed. 

Before anyone could throw a fireball or some other spell, B-Ranma tossed out a small circular device, which landed on the ground and then suddenly put forth a projected image of Lina herself. They all turned their attention to the hologram, which spoke in Lina's voice. 

"Amelia! Syphiel! Zelgadis! Don't attack this guy! He's here to save our world! There's no time to explain! Whatever you do, don't interfere in what he's about to do! Gourry and I are okay, but you have to listen to me! Let him do what he needs to do, or we're all doomed!" 

The others were stunned to see the holographic message of their friend, and were in conflict of what to do. It was then that Amelia pointed up to the sky. With the exception of B-Ranma, the others looked up and saw a distant, fiery dot in the sky that was rapidly approaching. 

Up above the outer reaches of the stratosphere, T-Ranma was firing every weapon he had on the ship, blowing away massive chunks of moon rock. However, despite the destructive forces he was using, he knew that it would not be enough as the huge mass began entering the atmosphere of the planet. He launched a massive barrage of meson torpedoes before being forced to turn the angle of descent to avoid burning up in reentry. The ship's heat shields were strained to their limits as T-Ranma wrenched at the controls. 

_< it say you as powerful is yours of technique Beam Spirit this hope I Boy! Blind to up all> B-Ranma took a ready stance with his feet spread apart and his staff held perpendicular to the ground in front of him. He took a deep breath and began concentrating. He began straining his extraordinary senses and reached out to collect all available energies of the planet. His body glowed with an intense blue aura as pinpricks of white, black and shamanistic magic was collected as well as bits of life forces was slowly being collected. Since the mystical forces of this world were extremely high, the Unseen Light fighter was almost overwhelmed by the influx of magic. However, he bit down and continued to collect energy. _

Zelgadis and the others were very intrigued by the stranger and could sense the power within his body. Sylphiel was especially interested, as B-Ranma became living generator of power. The way he collected the forces of the sprits and made them his own was simply mind boggling! What kind of spell was he using to require such large amounts of energy? How was he combining all that power together? Black and white magic don't mix, so how was he able to fuse them together? On the ship… 

"One minutes to planetary impact!" T-Ranma said. 

The others held their breath. 

On the ground, B-Ranma trembled. Never before had he had so much power held within all at once. His body threatened to explode from the strain, but somehow, he managed to hold onto it all. He was almost there. All the free energy that the world could spare, had been collected and was just waiting to be released. His aura was now the purest white as B-Ranma raised his staff to the heavens. 

Zelgadis, Amelia, Naga and the others had to turn away from the brilliance that his aura was creating. The Chimera then looked back up at the sky and his eyes widened at what he saw. The distant fiery dot that he had seen before was now close enough for him and everyone else to gaze upon. His blood went cold. The populace of Sailoon was sent into a panicked state as they realized that they were at ground zero. This chunk of rock was by far larger than the last one and seemed to fill the sky. There was no time to erect protective barriers. There was no time for anything but scream. It was then that B-Ranma released his technique. 

"SPIRIT BEAM!" 

A huge ball of light appeared at the end of his staff and then exploded upward in a slender, but extremely intense beam. Shockwaves of power radiated outward and caused whatever structures that were still standing to be rattled like saplings. The ground trembled under the pressures but B-Ranma held firm. Because of the high magic levels of this world, the Spirit Beam was far more powerful than normal. The beam struck the falling meteor dead center and caused the mass to shudder and slow in its descent. Huge cracks formed from the point where the beam struck it. The energy continued to push against it, causing it to slow down in its descent even more. Slowly, but surely, the asteroid lost its momentum and then, for one brief moment, it stopped in midair, a couple of hundred feet above the city of Sailoon. 

"ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!" B-Ranma screamed as he redoubled his effort, drawing in as much energy as he could. Since he was in a city where white magic abounded in, he managed to pump even more energy into the beam. The beam suddenly became wider as it flared and increased the pressure. 

Slowly, with supreme effort B-Ranma's part, the chunk of moon rock was pushed back upward! 

The inhabitants watched in disbelief as the huge mass was being forced back up the sky, gaining speed and altitude with every second. It kept climbing higher and higher, until at last, it was again a distant dot in the sky. 

Finally, when the mass had reached the lower levels of the stratosphere, it could no longer hold together and exploded into huge fragments. Luckily, T-Ranma was still up there and made certain that the pieces would not harm anyone. A few blasts from the particle cannons and any danger the chunks represented were gone in clouds of space dust. 

On the planet's surface, B-Ranma collapsed from utter exhaustion. Zelgadis and his friends approached the unconscious blind fighter. It was then that they looked up and saw T-Ranma's ship coming in for a landing. 

Epilogue 

"Can't you stay any longer?" Syphiel asked as the four Ranmas were getting set to leave this dimension. "I've learned so much from you already and you could do so much and help so many." 

B-Ranma smiled while shaking his head. "No, I'm afraid that we have to get going." 

"At least let me heal your blindness." The white priestess insisted as she reached out with her hands. 

Her wrists were then grasped firmly by B-Ranma who shook his head and said, "No, I told you before, that I do not wish to be healed." 

"But why? You have already taught us so much about healing without using magic. The least I can do is to restore your sight." 

B-Ranma sighed as he released her wrists. During the last month, after explanations were made and misunderstandings were cleared up, the four Ranmas had been made royal guests of Sailoon. B-Ranma had become a source of great interest as he displayed the lost techniques of Shiatsu healing. He even taught the healers the standard methods of CPR and more modern methods of emergency aid, such as the Heimlech Maneuver. B-Ranma had become CPR certified in his village and had all the skills of a top-notch paramedic. Amelia and Sylphiel became very eager students. In return, the Unseen Light fighter had learned a few healing spells and adapted them so that they could draw power from his ki, rather than from the magical forces of their world. 

The other Ranmas had also become celebrities as they displayed their marital arts skills and other techniques. Gourry had learned new sword techniques from D-Ranma. Naga became very interested with Kojiro, especially when he transformed into his hybrid form. The Cat Fist fighter had to duck and hide whenever the amorous sorceress went looking for him. 

The blind fighter sighed as he said, "Sylphiel, I know you mean well, but please respect my wishes. It was because of my blindness that I had become what I am today. If I had not become blind and learned the Unseen Light, then I would not have been able to save your world, now would I?" 

"I… suppose…" Sylphiel agreed reluctantly. The thought of not being allowed to heal him when she had the power made her feel very sorrowful. She had gotten to know this gentle fighter over the past month and it tore at her heart for him to remain in the darkness. 

"And besides," The blind fighter continued. "I find that blindness is also a reminder what I have achieved. You do remember what I told you about my father? If I were to regain my sight, then I would forget the lessons I learned from all my training and the reminder to never listen to Genma. I might also lose my other powers if I were to see again." 

The priestess nodded again. She had become horrified to learn that B-Ranma's father had subjected his only child to such torture. The fact that the other Ranmas had also undergone the same training shocked her even more. She usually did not harbor any bad feelings toward anyone, but she did feel a kind of disgust about their father and felt even more sorry for the blind martial artist. He had the most lasting damage from the Neko Ken training. The other three had been totally healed, enhanced or learned to deal with the Cat Fist. 

B-Ranma nodded as he felt the pity in her aura, then reached out to wipe a tear on her cheek. "We all learn from the obstacles that come in our lives and the knowledge we gain from overcoming them makes us better. I have come to terms with my inner self and my blindness. In a way, my being blind has taught me so much more than I ever learned when I could see. Best of all, I don't consider my lack of sight to be a weakness, but a symbol of my will to endure. If someday I do regain my sight, I shall do so on my own terms. So, stop felling sorry for me. I do not need it nor deserve it." 

The white priestess was about to protest further, but then felt the inner strength within him. He had overcome the difficulties of living without the use of his eyes. He had fooled even her for a while. It was easy to see that he was firm in his beliefs and would be able to continue on, without his sight. 

"If you don't want me to heal you, then… so be it." 

B-Ranma nodded. "Now don't you forget what I taught you and Amelia. White magic is nice and all, but you should rely more on yourself and save your power for when you really need it. Those Shiatsu techniques I showed you are for healing and defense ONLY. They can be quite lethal if misused, understand?" 

"Yes, and thank you. I won't forget." 

The Unseen Light martial artist nodded, bowed to her and turned toward the ship. 

Sylphiel then leaned over to give B-Ranma a quick kiss on the cheek before he entered the ship. "Goodbye Ranma… and take care." 

D-Ranma and Kojiro were already aboard as T-Ranma walked up to the ship. Behind him, a red-haired sorceress continued to pester him. 

"Please? Can't I have the Annihilator?" 

"No." 

"Come on! I'll give you one thousand gold pieces for it!" 

"NO!" 

"Aw come on!" Lina pouted. 

"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" 

"Are you saying that I can't have it?" 

"Yeesh!" T-Ranma pinched the bridge of his nose. Ever since they became guests of Sailoon, Lina had been trying to get ahold of the various technological devices in his ship. He had to activate the ship's autodefense systems to keep Lina from entering and looting anything that wasn't nailed down. She had also been pestering him to show her how those devices worked, and even offered large sums of money for his weaponry and equipment. He shuddered at the thought of the power-greedy sorceress getting her hands on plasma cannons, sonic grenades and (brrr!) the Annihilator. Thank goodness, they were leaving now! 

Luckily, not all of the Kerium in Sailoon had been destroyed. One fragment had been found in the ruins of the castle vault. Amelia's father had gratefully awarded the piece to the four Ranmas. It had taken the ship's refinement equipment two days to stabilize the precious element for use in the Quantum Phase Drive. The rest of the time was used for relaxation and repairs for both the ship and the castle. The people of the city were amazed when T-Ranma let loose a group of repair drones to fix the damage done to the castle and the surrounding areas. The robots resembled large, floating, metal bowling balls, but had waldos, welders, laser torches and other devices hidden in various compartments of their bodies. In less than a week, the castle and city was restored to their original states, with more efficiency than the best construction crews. 

"FOR THE LAST TIME, NO!" T-Ranma stomped up the entrance ramp and immediately shut the hatch. He then went to the bridge where the others were waiting for him and activated the main drives. The ship began emitting a gentle whine as the engines began powering up. 

Outside the ship, Lina and her friends began waving goodbye to their otherworldly visitors as the craft lifted off, kicking up some dust clouds. As it slowly started gaining altitude, it rotated to the left, giving the observers one final look at the people through the pilot canopy. All four Ranmas waved farewell at the group below, Kojiro winced as he saw a figure running towards then and waving. It was a certain someone that wore a leather-style bikini, and whose laugh reminded B-Ranma of a certain Black Rose. 

"Man! Am I glad to get away from that person!" Kojiro muttered as the ship then shot off into the sky. 

"Yeah, she reminds me of Kodachi." B-Ranma remarked. 

"Who?" The others asked. 

"I tell you guys later." 

The ship raced upward and was soon beyond the gravitational pull of the planet, then accelerated even faster. 

"Brace yourselves guys, we're about to make our first dimensional jump in… 3… 2…1… NOW!" T-Ranma activated the Quantum Phase Drive. 

The ship suddenly elongated for a split second before being enveloped in a streaking flash of light. It then punched through the fabric of the space-time continuum and disappeared. 

Meanwhile, back on the Slayers world, two shadowy figures looked up at the sky and then nodded to each other after the ship had vanished from view. 

"Well, they're finally on their way." The first one said. 

"Yes, it was a good idea to leave that fragment of Kerium for them to find." The second one added. 

"Overall, I think they did quite well as a team." 

"Well, they need to be if they are to succeed in the trails ahead. After all, that was the reason why we had them put together in the first place." 

"So, shall we lead them to their ultimate destination?" 

"No, I don't think they're ready quite yet. There is still one more player missing from their group that they have to pick up first. In any case, some more dimension hopping would be good for them. There are many worlds out there that could use their help." 

The first figure nodded as he said, "Yes, if those four hadn't interfered, Phibrizzo would have gotten ahold of the Kerium and destroyed this world anyway. So where are they heading to next?" 

"Where else? To pick up the last member of their team." 

The two then disappeared from sight. 

To be continued… 

Author's Notes 

Phew! That was a long one! In any case, the four Ranmas are on their way back home, but don't expect the trip to be a smooth one. As for when this story occurred, it took place about a couple of weeks after the Slayers Next series. Why did I add Naga? It was just for fun. Who are these mysterious individuals? Are they the ones responsible for getting our intrepid four lost in the first place? Stay tuned! 

And here's a sneak peek at the next chapter of the Great Crossover Crisis! 

Scene 

Kojiro: Where are we now? 

T-Ranma: It looks like Earth, but scanners indicate that this world has some rather strange life forms. Hold on a minute! Sensors indicate that something is approaching us at very high speed! I'm clocking it at around 250 mph! 

B-Ranma: What is it? 

D-Ranma: Over there! 

The four looked over to see a boy riding what appeared to be a horse. The strange thing was that the horse seemed to be on fire. 

Kojiro: What the Hell is that? 

The rider noticed the group and the strange craft and directed his mount toward it. When he got within fifty yards, he pulled back on the reins. 

Pokemon Ranma: Whoa, Wildfire! 

That's all for now!


	6. Chapter 4

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: Has anyone seen a short-tempered, uncute tomboy with a big mallet? No? Good! Now I can write this without fear of... oh, hello there! What brings you...? No wait! Don't! I didn't mean to call you... AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH! WHAM! 

Last episode: The four Ranmas had finally escaped from the Slayers World and are now traveling through the dimensional stream of infinite realities, trying to find their way back to their home universes. However, fate seems to have other plans for them. 

Note: This episode takes place after P-Ranma had just earned his Marsh Badge and his sixth Pokémon. You will also notice a few things have happened at this point, but they will be explained eventually in the separate Fist of the Pikachu story. 

Italic: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

* *: Pokédex responses 

D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child (Draco) 

T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech (Prototype) 

B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind (Ranma) 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury (Kojiro) 

P-Ranma: Ranma from Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer) 

**Chapter 4 **

Ranma Number Five 

On a world that was very much like Earth, a streak of fire was racing along the highway at well over 200-mph. The streak of fire was in fact the fastest of all ground Pokémon, the Rapidash. This particular specimen was the fastest of its species, thanks to the intense training from its owner, Ranma Saotome. As the Rapidash and its rider raced along the highway, leaving fire trails in their wake, the two suddenly noticed another streak of fire that was blazing across the sky. P-Ranma pulled up on his reins and urged Wildfire to slow down as he looked at what appeared to be a shooting star. 

_Wow! It looks like a falling meteor._ Ranma and his steed watched as the object hurtled down toward the ground into the distance, and disappearing over the horizon. By his estimate, the object was about some hundred miles away. 

"Pika." 

Ranma turned to his Raiden, his Pikachu and first Pokémon, who was perched on his backpack. "What do you think Raiden? We've got about a week before we meet up with Sam and Jeanette at the Fuscha Gym. Want to go check it out?" Ranma's normal traveling companions, Jeanette Fisher and Sam Ryker had went off to take care of some family business and agreed to meet up with him at the next gym. 

The electric rodent shrugged and nodded. With Wildfire's speed, they could afford to take a little side trip. 

Ranma smiled as he urged his fiery steed toward where the object had landed. 

Meanwhile, at the landing site, T-Ranma's cruiser was powering down its engines as the surface of its hull quickly threw off the heat of reentry. A few moments later, the main hatch opened and the ramp descended to the ground. The passengers of the space ship exited and began taking deep breaths and stretching out their limbs. 

"Ah! It's good to get out of that ship." Kojiro remarked as he took in the scenery of the world they had just landed on. 

"I'll say!" D-Ranma agreed as he stretched out his arms. "So where are we now, Prototype?" 

"Hold on a minute." T-Ranma replied as he began scanning the area with his eyes. The four Ranmas had decided to give each other different names, as it was too confusing to call each other Ranma. T-Ranma had settled on the designation of Prototype as that what he was when he had been rebuilt as a nanotech soldier. D-Ranma chose the title of Draco, which meant dragon. Kojiro was happy to stay with his name, as he never wanted to be called Ranma. As for B-Ranma, he had decided on the name Ranma. 

"Is this Earth?" B-Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma shook his head. "Yes and no. This appears to be Earth, but not one of our Earths. I'm picking up life-form readings that don't match to any terrestrial animals that can be found on our worlds. The geography of the landmasses is also different. It looks like we've landed on another parallel world again." 

"Aw nuts! We're not home yet?" Kojiro pouted. "It's been two months now!" 

"I know it's frustrating." T-Ranma soothed. "But like I said before, without the exact coordinates to any of our home realities to use as a reference, we can't do anything more than to check out each dimension as we come across them. At least we've managed to narrow down the search to this sector of the dimensional vortex that pulled us in the first place. That's where the spiritual trails of our initial entries seem to indicate. Without even that tiny lead, we'd be randomly visiting dimensions for the rest of our lives." 

"And you have to admit, so far it's been a wild ride." B-Ranma remarked. 

"Yes, that we'll all agree to." D-Ranma said. "Remember those Boomers that Prototype blew away?" 

Flashback to the MegaTokyo, year 2033... 

Priss and the other Knight Sabers were shocked as they saw T-Ranma in his Phase I Exo-Armor, as he faced off against fifty Boomers. The armored vigilantes had been less than a heartbeat away from destruction after being ambushed by the death machines. Their hardsuits were too damaged from the battle and the girls were about to be destroyed when this newcomer in black showed up and took out a dozen Boomers in less than a minute with strange energy blasts. Then some hi-tech armor appeared around him and adhered to the full body suit he was wearing. 

Small panels in the T-Ranma's leg, hip and chest armor opened up to reveal micro-missile launchers. Twin plasma cannons appeared on each shoulder, while his forearm gauntlets materialized armor-piercing auto guns. His hands were filled with XT-7000 particle beam rifles, each with a proton grenade launcher mounted below their muzzles. His helmet also powered up the ion blaster built into the visor as his computer began selecting the first targets. 

"Hasta la vista... Boomers." T-Ranma said as he pulled the triggers and let loose with a murderous storm of firepower. Micro-missiles shot forward like swarms of angry hornets. Though they were no bigger than cigarettes, they each had an armor-piercing tip and an explosive charge equivalent to twenty hand grenades. The shells launched from his auto guns shredded through the boomers as if they were made of parchment and the plasma cannons reduced whatever they hit to slag. The particle bolts blasted apart armor plating and ion beams played havoc on microcircuits. For a full thirty seconds, T-Ranma let loose with enough destructive force to level a small city a hundred times over. Luckily for the citizens of MegaTokyo, the nanotech soldier was directing his barrage in an abandoned area of the urban sectors. Of course, he could have used his Annihilator but he thought that would have overkill. ^_^ 

When the guns and weapons of T-Ranma finally stopped, the Knight Sabers were stunned to see that not a single Boomer was left standing. In fact, there was nothing more than unrecognizable heaps of debris that wasn't even fit for recycling. T-Ranma lowered his arms as his guns were still smoking a bit. He turned toward the Knight Sabers and smiled. 

"I just LOVE the silence after a salvo, don't you?" 

Priss was the first to regain her voice as she and the others continued to stare at the stranger. She then whispered, "I WANT one of those!" 

It was not sure whether she was referring to the armor, the weapons or the very well built man who was carrying them. Of course, the other Knight Sabers all agreed with Priss. 

End of flashback... 

T-Ranma smirked at that. "Well, you guys helped some too you know. I think that Linna had a soft spot for you Ranma, when you blew up that Boomer with just a finger." 

B-Ranma reddened a bit as he remembered the feisty dancer and best hand-to-hand combatant of that group. Linna had almost been crushed by a Boomer when B-Ranma used the advanced Breaking Point to reduce it to scrap. Then after displaying his Amazonian Wu Shu and Unseen Light techniques, destroying Boomers with just a staff and ki blasts, Linna couldn't stay away from him. The blind martial artist could beat her, even when she was in her hardsuit. That and the fact that he was good-looking and his humble personality appealed to her. 

The four Ranmas had created massive havoc and irreparable damage to the Genom Corporation during that week. When they finally left that universe, it seemed that the Knight Sabers had nothing more to do than a light mop up. 

"Yeah, things got pretty exciting ever since we left Lina and her friends." Kojiro admitted as he joined in with the others with reminiscing. "Remember the look on Quincy's face when Draco blasted into his office as a dragon?" The Cat Fist fighter chuckled at the memory. 

"Oh and I suppose your hybrid and tiger forms are not as scary." Draco retorted sarcastically, but in a friendly manner. Kojiro had given a lot of Genom employees nightmares when he showed up as a saber-tooth tiger, then began ripping up the Boomer factory as a psuedo-werebeast. 

"Yeah, well anyway, we've got a week before the phase drive generates enough of a quantum field for us to make another dimensional jump, so it looks like we're stuck here for now." T-Ranma remarked as he looked around again with his scanners. It was then that he picked up something that was approaching their position at very high speed. "Hold on guys! I'm picking up something coming towards us. It's pretty fast! I'm clocking it at 250 mph!" 

"What is it?" Kojiro asked as he and the others got into their ready stances. 

"It's over there!" The techno-Ranma toward the horizon as a small dot of red and white came speeding toward them. 

"I can't see from this distance. Do you have any idea what it is?" Kojiro asked. 

"Hold on." T-Ranma began engaging his telescopic vision and when he focused in on whatever or whoever was approaching, his eyes widened in disbelief. "No way! It can't be!" 

"Huh? What are you talking about?" D-Ranma inquired as he used his dragon-enhanced vision to see what approaching. He too gasped at what he saw. 

B-Ranma was getting very edgy as well as he sensed a spiritual essence that closely resembled that of himself and his counterparts. 

It was at that moment that P-Ranma saw the ship and the people in front of it and pulled back on the reins. "Whoa Wildfire!" 

When the flame horse screeched to a halt a few meters in front of the ship, the Pokémon trainer, Wildfire and Raiden could do nothing and stare at the strangers. The strangers could do nothing but stare back at the person who was mounted on the horse. 

Finally, after a long, long moment of silence, B-Ranma was the first to speak. 

"Ranma Saotome, I presume?" 

A very long time later... 

"So you guys are actually me, but from other dimensions?" P-Ranma asked as the four Ranmas had introduced themselves and told them of their own life stories. In return, the Pokémon trainer had related the story of his own life and how he had arrived to the Pokémon world. The five of them were sitting around a campfire near the ship and were eating their dinners. P-Ranma had let out his Pokémon so they could eat as well. They were a little surprised to see four copies of their master, but P-Ranma assured them that they were sort of his lookalike cousins. The Pokémon relaxed after that since they had already seen dozens of Officer Jennys and Joys. 

"Well, basically that's the general idea." T-Ranma replied. "Most of us were lucky enough to get away from that idiot Genma at an early age, except for Kojiro here." He pointed to his feline counterpart. 

"So when did you leave him?" P-Ranma addressed Kojiro. 

"It was just after I fell into a cursed spring and..." 

"You mean Jusenkyo?" 

"You know about it?" 

P-Ranma nodded. "That's where me and Pop parted ways too. Well, it was more like an accident, like I told you before, but all things considered, I'm glad it happened. From what you guys have told me about what Genma is doing to your lives now, I'm not so sure I want to go back to my home world, if that kind of crap is waiting for me. Pop actually sold me for a fish? I'm engaged to Ucchan and she's a girl? I have how many fiancées?" 

B-Ranma nodded. "Uh huh. Since your life is pretty much the same as Kojiro's here, up to the point of Jusenkyo, we have to assume that all of the stupid stunts Genma pulled had occurred with you. The number of fiancées may vary, but you get the idea." 

T-Ranma nodded. "And of course, all of our early experiences are parallel to each other except at some key point which caused each of our lives to diverge." 

"I get it." P-Ranma was deep in thought about what these four had told him. They were so much like him. What was he thinking? They WERE him! They knew of secrets that he only he knew of. Yet, once they had separated from Genma, they had also changed. From the looks of it, they had changed for the better. _Come to think of it, so have I._ He shuddered at the thought of how he could have turned out if he had remained with Genma. Being transported to this world was probably the best thing that had happened to him. 

He turned his attention back to Kojiro. "You told me that you fell into a cursed spring. Which one was it, Nyannichuan?" 

"I don't what that one is, but the one I fell into was something the Guide called the Spring of Monster Tiger." 

"Tiger? Cool! Can you show me?" 

"Are you sure? I mean, you told us that you went through the Neko Ken training and survived. Aren't you afraid of cats?" 

"Nope. Not any more. Come on, show me." He poured out a glass of water from his canteen. "Here's some cold water." 

Kojiro waved it off. "I don't need it. That spring I fell into was different from the others and I can transform any time I want to." He then gave P-Ranma a serious look. "Are you sure you want to see my cat form?" 

"Trust me, I won't get scared." He then addressed his Pokémon. "Raiden, Wind Rider, Wildfire, Razor, Sea Storm, Bruiser, our friend is going to change his appearance, like I do. Don't be alarmed. Keep calm, got it?" 

"Pikachu." 

"Slash!" 

"Golduck!" 

"Neigh!" 

"Pidgooo!" 

"Machop!" 

T-Ranma noted that the Pokémon were well disciplined. "You've trained them well." 

"Thanks. Go ahead Kojiro." 

Kojiro gave the Pokémon trainer one final look before nodding. He got up and backed away from the group for more room. In a flash of ki energy, Kojiro transformed into his saber-tooth tiger form. The Pokémon were a bit startled from the appearance of something that made a Persian look like a kitten, but a wave of P-Ranma's hand calmed them down. 

Kojiro looked at his Pokémon trainer counterpart and saw that he didn't even flinch at the sight of his feline shape. He then shifted to his hybrid form, which elicited a whistle from P-Ranma. 

"Cool!" 

The Cat Fist fighter nodded as he said, "This is my hybrid form. I get most of the power of the tiger, but still retain all the advantages of a human form. Of course, I still have a lot of the tiger's power even as a human." With these words, Kojiro shifted back to normal and sat back down. 

"That was neat! And you can control the Neko Ken as well as transforming?" 

"That's right. Though I am curious as to why you didn't freak out at the sight of me. I thought the Neko Ken caused anyone who survived the training to be scared to death of cats." 

P-Ranma nodded. "Before I came to Jusenkyo, I was scared of cats. But thanks to a gym leader named Sabrina, I managed to overcome my fear. Sabrina happens to be a very strong telepath and she used her psychic powers to erase my mental trauma." 

"I see." Kojiro nodded. 

P-Ranma shrugged. "In any case, since I'm on a Pokémon journey, it wouldn't do for me to keep on being afraid. Eventually, I'm going encounter another Meowth or Persian." 

"Meowth? Persian? What are those?" D-Ranma inquired. 

P-Ranma took out his Pokédex and brought up the entries for those Pokémon. 

*MEOWTH, A CAT POKÉMON. IT HAS RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS AND ITS SLASH ATTACKS ARE VERY STRONG. IT IS VERY AGILE AND TENDS TO HAVE A PLAYFUL DEMENOR.*

P-Ranma shuddered a bit as he remembered his last encounter with Team Rocket's talking Meowth and then that Persian by that other group. The Pokédex then switched to the other entry. 

*PERSIAN, THE PANTHER POKÉMON. THE EVOLVED FORM OF MEOWTH. ITS CLAWS CAN SLICE THROUGH EVEN CONCRETE AND ITS AGILITY MAKES IT VERY EFFECTIVE IN CLOSE QUARTER BATTLES.*

"Interesting." T-Ranma remarked as P-Ranma put away his Pokédex. "This entire world is inhabited by these... what did you call them, Pokémon?" 

The Pokémon trainer and martial artist nodded as he said, "Yep. And as a Pokémon trainer, I have catch and train them all." 

"So that means, you're a sensei?" B-Ranma asked. 

"Basically, that's the idea. I've been teaching my Pokémon in how to fight in the Anything Goes style and I've picked up a few techniques from them as well." 

"Really. I'd like to see them sometime. Maybe we could have a match." Kojiro said with interest. After sparring with B-Ranma, he was curious to see just what kind of martial artist this new guy was. 

"I might just take you up on that. And my Pokémon are no pushovers either. They've been great sparring partners, and my best friends." P-Ranma nodded to his Pokémon. They all nodded and smiled back at him. 

"By the way." B-Ranma said. "You mentioned that about the Nyannichuan. That's the Spring of Drowned Girl, isn't it? IS that what you fell into?" 

P-Ranma sighed and nodded. "Yes, that's what Pops knocked me into. But, like Kojiro here, I've gotten used to my curse and I've got a way to control it, at least partially." He reached into his shirt and pulled out the Water Stone pendant he always wore. "This Water Evolution Stone keeps my body locked in one form. Hot and cold water do not affect me when I'm wearing it." 

"So if you were a girl and wearing it when splashed with hot water..." D-Ranma surmised. 

"I wouldn't change back into a boy." P-Ranma finished. "Here, look at this." He took off his pendant and laid it on the ground beside him. He then used the cup of cold water and doused himself with it. Instantly, he became a very attractive and well-built, red-haired girl. 

Kojiro teasingly gave a low wolf whistle. 

"Very funny." P-Ranma-chan said with sarcasm as she used her ki to heat up the remainder of the water in the cup, doused herself with it and reverted back to male. He put his pendant back around his neck. 

"I noticed that you have very good skills in ki manipulation." T-Ranma said. His scanners had analyzed the process in which P-Ranma had used to convert his ki into heat. 

P-Ranma smiled as he said, "Yeah, well I learned a lot from watching my Pokémon with their attacks. I figured why couldn't I do that as well? I'm working on my own branch of martial arts, suing Pokémon attacks. I think I'll call it Pokémon Ken. 

The very next day... 

"This is great! This will give Wildfire a chance to rest." P-Ranma remarked as he watched from the viewscreen of T-Ranma's cruiser as it sped across the sky. The ship was of course using its cloaking device, which made it invisible to radar or the naked eye. The Pokémon trainer had recalled all of his Pokémon except for Raiden, who was sitting on his shoulder. "Are you sure you guys want to come with me and Raiden?" 

Kojiro shrugged. "It's no big deal. We've been fighting and bouncing around dimensions almost nonstop for two months. It'll be a nice change to just take in the sights and relax for a while." 

"Besides, it'll be a week before we can leave this world, so we might as well have some fun. It's not like we have anything else to do." B-Ranma shrugged. 

T-Ranma considered their new friend. He had the same basic DNA as the rest of them, though he was shorter than they were. P-Ranma was about 5'6", and T-Ranma could only detect a small spurt in growth recently. He assumed that the ten years of malnutrition suffered under Genma's care might have had something to do with it. The other Ranmas, including himself topped over six feet. P-Ranma would probably grow a few inches more, now that he was eating better away from his father. Putting those thoughts aside, the techno-warrior said, "I am kind of worried that people might stare at five identical Ranmas." 

"Don't worry about it." P-Ranma replied. "With all the Jennys and Joys in this world, I don't think people are going to take much notice of us." 

"Who?" D-Ranma asked. 

"You'll see." 

As the group streaked across the sky, the four other Ranmas had decided on the name of Trainer for their new friend, to avoid more confusion. P-Ranma accepted the nickname without any debate and began discussing more about the similarities and differences between his own life and that of his counterparts. 

"So where are you headed?" Kojiro asked. 

"Well, I was headed toward the Fuscha Gym to get a Soul Badge, but I'm not really in any hurry. The girls I'm supposed to meet there aren't due for at least a week. 

"Girls huh?" B-Ranma grinned. D-Ranma and Kojiro also gave him a sly look. 

"Hey! It's not like that!" P-Ranma denied. "Sam and Jeanette are just good friends and training partners, that's all!" 

"Sure they are." B-Ranma remarked. His senses were already detecting the blush forming on his counterpart's cheeks. 

"Really! They're just friends!" 

"Pika." The Pikachu on P-Ranma's shoulder smirked. Raiden knew how nervous his master was around the female gender, despite the fact that he was cursed to be one if he was splashed with cold water. The Water Pendant did help him control that problem, at least partially. As time went on, it didn't seem as much as a problem anymore. 

T-Ranma shook his head while smiling and decided to change the subject. "So do these girls know about your... condition?" 

The Pokémon trainer shook his head and replied, "Nope. Don't see any reason why they should know." He held up his Water Stone. "As long as I wear this, they'll never have to know." 

D-Ranma looked at the pendant for a long while and then said, "You know, it is possible that I can remove your curse altogether." 

"What?" 

This also got the attention of the other Ranmas. 

The dragon warrior nodded. "Just remember that I have had extensive training in the mystical arts and I know a thing or two about removing curses. Though I have to warn you. I've never tried to remove a Jusenkyo curse before. The magic of that place is quite powerful. I haven't had much practice in removing shape-shifting curses, but with a little work, I think it can be done. Would you like me to try?" 

P-Ranma became silent at this offer to remove his curse as he considered the possibilities and consequences. The elimination of the curse would be a welcome thing. Even with his Water Stone, Ranma had found it very irritating that water had a habit of seeking him out and sometimes he would be caught without his pendant. He was always wary of being near large amounts of water. However, there were other things to consider. For one thing, Draco was not giving him a total guarantee and his meddling with his curse might not make things better. The worst-case scenario would be if he became permanently stuck in his cursed form. P-Ranma had long since gotten used to his curse before he had received the Water Stone and now considered it as just another one of his abilities. It did have its advantages and he found it extremely handy in evading fans and wannabes. He could also get away with things that he never could as a boy. He had been given a better insight toward the mysteries of girls and that helped him immensely when dealing with them. 

"Trainer?" D-Ranma prodded. 

P-Ranma slowly shook his head and replied, "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. Like you said, you're not really all that sure that you could do it. You might screw up the curse even worse than it already is. If you had asked me when I was back in Jusenkyo, I would have jumped at the chance, and to hell with the consequences. I've had this curse for so long, I've kind of gotten used to it and with this Water Stone, I really don't think about it very much. The curse has helped me out a couple of times." P-Ranma remembered back to when Butch and Cassidy of Team Rocket had captured him. If his cursed form had not been smaller, he wouldn't have been able to free himself from those two. 

"Are you sure? I mean, you might not get another chance to be normal." Kojiro said. 

"If that's the case, then why didn't you have him remove your curse?" 

The Cat Fist fighter was taken aback as he thought about P-Ranma's suggestion. Yes it was a possibility that Draco could remove the Jusenkyo magic from him as well. But the Felinar LIKED his form and the power it gave him. The Jusenkyo pool of Drowned Monster Tiger (Felinar) had helped him overcome the flawed Neko Ken and gave him to ability to openly defy his idiot father Genma. That stupid panda and his attempts to force him into an engagement to Akane Tendo were continually thwarted, thanks to the power of the True Cat Fist. It would not have been possible if he had not fallen into that pool that fateful day. 

"I get your point." Kojiro said. "I've gotten so used to my curse that it didn't seem like a curse anymore. For me, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. As I think back on my life, I remember when I felt that the curse was irreversible and I would have done anything to be normal again." The Felinar recalled the time he spent in the Chinese wilderness as a tiger. Then he remembered the Rite of Passage, and what he had accomplished afterwards. All of that was possible due to his mastering of his initially hated curse. He then turned to his blind counterpart. "I'm beginning to understand why you turned down Prototype and Draco's offer to restore your sight. You've gotten used to your lack of sight, yet it's not really a handicap to you, is it? In fact, you're a damned better fighter than a lot of sighted people I've faced off." 

B-Ranma nodded. "We were all dealt different cards and we made the best of what we had. We've overcome those obstacles and have become better from them. It would not do for us to be handed something that we didn't work hard to earn, now would it? That would have made the lessons learned seem to be pointless. Furthermore, I consider my blindness as a symbol of my accomplishments and a reminder to NEVER listen to Genma." 

"I guess I can think of my Cat Fist as the same way." 

"You got it." B-Ranma smiled. Though he still didn't like the way Kojiro viewed the Amazons, he was forming a bit of a kinship with the Cat Fist Fighter. They had both used Genma's mistake of the Neko Ken and were far better than they would ever have been under that moron's tutelage. 

"I still kind of feel sorry for..." 

B-Ranma held up his hand. "Don't ever feel pity for me, Kojiro. I do not want nor deserve such feelings. In any case, I feel that if Kami-sama wishes for me to see again, then it will happen and it will be because I had worked for it, not because someone pitied me." 

Kojiro sighed and nodded. It seemed that the Unseen Light Fighter would brook no more arguments. 

"So where are we?" T-Ranma asked the Pokémon Trainer. 

P-Ranma looked at the map readouts on a monitor and replied. "We're actually near Fuscha City and the seaside. I was heading there for a Soul Badge. Hey! We can go to the beach on Sea Foam Island! I've heard that Professor Westwood is there." 

"Who's Professor Westwood?" T-Ranma asked. 

"He's the guy who programmed the Pokédex." P-Ranma replied. 

"This is great! I'd love to take a trip to the beach!" Kojiro exclaimed. 

"Hmmm, it might be all right. Okay, let's head on over there." 

The ship then made a beeline for the coast for a day of sun, sand and surf. 

Some time later... 

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH..." All five Ranmas sighed as they stood on the boardwalk that lead to the beach. Waves were gently splashing against the surf as the hot summer sun cast its rays on the sunbathers lying on the sands. 

T-Ranma scanned the area as the group began maneuvering around the crowds of people. As P-Ranma had said, any passerby would just glance at them, shrug and continue about his business. Some would mutter something about a person named Joy or Jenny, but overall, the five identical Ranmas were paid very little notice. That is, male spectators paid them very little notice. Female spectators were giving them quite the look. They were all ogling the five like Ash Ketchum's friend Brock would be ogling Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny or any other pretty girl. 

B-Ranma was dressed in a pair of blue shorts and had a beach towel slung over his shoulder. His chest was bare and the females who were watching him were absolutely drooling over how fine his form was. Being raised by a caring Amazon healer and trained in both the Unseen Light and Amazonian Wu Shu had given the blind Ranma a fine physique. His build was like a lean gymnast's. They were very intrigued by the small scars that crisscrossed his back, back and chest, symbols of his intense training in the Joketsuzoku. They did not make the girls repulsed by their appearance, but rather they enhanced the muscular definition of his body, which made him seem more experienced and mature. 

Where B-Ranma had a serene and quiet beauty, Kojiro was sensual and bursting with fire. Wearing nothing but a pair of black swimming briefs and sunglasses, his more massive form had the girls itching to sink their teeth into him. He had more muscle than B-Ranma but retained a lithe grace that signified his tiger side. He was like a more slender Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not quite as bulky, but still radiated a sense of power and animal magnetism that women would have found almost irresistible. It was a good thing that he had not turned to his hybrid form; otherwise, the pheromones that he gave off in that shape would have caused a riot as the female hormones would have gone sky-high. 

T-Ranma's nanites had rebuilt his damaged body to become the pinnacle of perfection. His body was like a cross between Hercules and Adonis. He was conservatively wearing a pair of cutoff jeans and a white T-shirt, but even those clothes couldn't hide the rippling pectorals or well-defined abdominal muscles. It was hard not to notice him, as he was the tallest of the five, at a height of 6'4". 

D-Ranma's body showed what living in the Dragon World could do and he received more than his share of stares. He was build much like Kojiro and T-Ranma, with extra muscle mass, yet not appearing too bulky. His smooth skin seemed to reflect the sun, despite the fact that he was not wearing any sun block. This was because his skin cells acted like dragon scales and reflected off the heat and light, giving him the appearance of someone with a golden tan. The dragon warrior reveled in the heat as strode in a pair of Bermuda shorts and was bare-chested. He carried volleyball and a net. 

P-Ranma, though not quite as tall or well developed as his counterparts, was still admired by females. His training under Genma had given him a lean, martial artist's body, but he had gained a bit more muscle mass after getting a better diet and training with Pokémon, instead of people. His constant battles had given him a form of inner strength that made women stop and give him a second glance. 

The five Ranmas were getting leers, ogling looks and lustful stares that began to make them nervous. They quickly moved toward a more deserted area of the beach. 

After settling down their beach towels and picnic basket of food, they began applying lotion and began their day of relaxation. B-Ranma and Kojiro decided to challenge P-Ranma and one of his Pokémon to a volleyball match. The Pokémon trainer accepted and called out Bruiser, his Machop. Soon, an intense game was underway. D-Ranma and T-Ranma sat with Raiden on the sidelines, along with Trainer's other Pokémon. The group became so engrossed with having fun that they were unaware that they were being watched from afar. 

About a mile out from the beach, a periscope popped up and focused in on the Ranmas as they continued to have fun. Connected to the spying device was submarine that was shaped like a Magikarp. Inside the sub were three familiar figures. 

Jessie looked through the periscope as she and her cohorts continued to pedal to keep their sub moving. 

"I must be seeing double... no... quintuple!" 

"What are you talking about?" James asked. 

"Remember that trainer we fought back at Professor Oak's lab when we tried to get the plans to that Mega-Transporter Pokéball? I think his name was Ranma." 

"Oh yes. He's the one the boss is offering a huge reward to bring in. I thought he was a girl." 

"No he's definitely a guy. And those must be his brothers or cousins." She licked her lips at the sight of the prime male flesh she was seeing. 

"Huh?" James was more confused than usual. 

"Right now I'm seeing him and his Pokémon, as well as four others that look just like him!" 

"So what does this mean?" 

"Think of it James! Why settle for one extraordinary trainer and his Pokémon, when we can nab FIVE?" 

"Are you sure those others are Pokémon trainers?" 

"They have to be. All Joys are Pokémon Nurses and all Jennies are police officers, right? So it stands to reason that all Ranmas are Pokémon trainers!" 

"You're right! The boss would be so pleased at us, that he'll probably give us five times the reward!" 

Following along this kind of logic, (if one could call it that), the third member of their group nodded. "So what are waiting for? Let's go get them!" Meowth said. After their humiliating failure to steal a Tododile, the worst members of Team Rocket were eager to collect the bounty for P-Ranma's capture. Little did they know that they were in way over their heads! 

It was at that time that Kojiro leapt up and spiked the ball. Unfortunately, he had been so engrossed into the game that he had forgotten about his superhuman strength and hit the ball too hard. P-Ranma's Machop saw it coming and wisely decided not to return it. Jumping out of the way, Bruiser barely managed to avoid being flattened as the volleyball slammed into the ground and exploded, kicking sand all over the place. When the cloud of sand cleared, there was nothing left of the volleyball except for a few scraps of rubber and plastic. 

"Oops!" Kojiro became red-faced as he realized he had hit the ball with too much force. 

B-Ranma shrugged as he said, "Oh well. I guess that's the end of the game. 

P-Ranma smiled good-naturedly and said, "Ah, that's okay." He turned toward Prototype. "We can always have the ship make us a new ball, right?" 

T-Ranma nodded. "I think next time, I'll make the ball out of super-resistant kinetic rubber. I don't a normal ball could take that kind of abuse." 

The five shared in a chuckle as they sat down to have lunch. Just as they were biting into some sandwiches, T-Ranma's scanners and B-Ranma's danger sense went off. 

"What's wrong?" D-Ranma asked as he saw the heads of two of his counterparts suddenly jerk up. 

"We've got company." B-Ranma as he quickly stood up. 

"Confirmed." T-Ranma acknowledged. 

  
It was then that something broke the surface of the water some fifty feet from the shoreline. P-Ranma moaned, as he was relatively sure as to who it was. The other four Ranmas were startled as a giant metal Magikarp appeared. The hatch opened and some ominous music began to play. Two figures began to emerge from the hatch. 

"Prepare for trouble!" 

"Make it double!" 

"To protect the world from devastation!" 

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" 

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" 

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" 

"Jessie!" 

"James!" 

"Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light!" 

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" 

"Meowth! That's right!" 

As soon as Meowth appeared to finish the introduction, P-Ranma shook his head while pinching the bridge of his nose and mumbling. "What are these guys? Punishment from God? Did I do something bad in a previous life?" 

His counterparts all had confused looks on their faces complete with sweatdrops. D-Ranma moved over to Trainer and asked. "Do you know these guys?" 

"Enough to make me wish I didn't. Just let me take care of them, okay?" He then glanced to the others. They all shrugged and nodded. It was his world after all. The Pokémon trainer stepped forward with his Pikachu and addressed Team Rocket. "All right you three. I would have thought that last time would have been enough. So what are you doing here?" 

Jessie sneered at him and replied. "I would have thought it was obvious by now. We're here to take you and those Pokémon of yours back to the boss." 

James nodded as he added. "The leader of Team Rocket recently tripled the reward for whoever brings you to him. And I think he'll be extra happy when we bring him your family of Pokémon trainers as well." 

"Huh? But they aren't…" 

Meowth chose at that moment to produce a remote control and pressed a button. The mouth of the Magikarp opened and fired off a bundle attached to a chain. The bundle expanded into a weighted, steel net that covered the entire group. The five Ranmas made no move to evade it as it draped itself on top of them. 

"And what's this supposed to be?" P-Ranma said in an annoyed tone. 

Jessie smirked as she said with pride, "That net is made of reinforced steel fibers and you can't use your Pikachu's electric shocks without harming the others, now can you?" 

James nodded as he said to his partner, "We've learned from our defeats from that twerp, haven't we?" 

"Oh shut up!" Jessie snapped. She did not want to be constantly reminded of how many times they had lost to a little boy. 

"I don't need to shock anything." P-Ranma gestured to Razor. "BUZZSAW BARRAGE!" 

"Slash!" 

The Sandslash curled up into a ball and spun at a very fast rate. T-Ranma's scanners went alive as he detected a high amount of ki energy being focused in the Pokémon. B-ranma also detected the energy within the Sandslash. 

Both Ranmas had the same thought. _Hmmm, very impressive. Our counterpart taught his Pokémon well!_

The Sandslash quickly burst out of the net and made several passes over the group, cutting them free from the net without harming them. Once the last of the net had been reduced to steel confetti, the mouse stopped spinning and returned to his master's side. 

"Not bad." Kojiro remarked. The Sandslash had displayed an impressive cutting ability. The Cat Fist fighter wondered if he could develop a technique like that. Not that he or the others were worried. They could have easily freed themselves from the net at any time. 

Team Rocket however, was not that happy that their net had failed. However, they weren't finished yet! 

"Oh yeah? Well try this on for size!" Meowth tried another button. A nozzle popped out and released a huge cloud of noxious fumes. Inside the submarine, James' Wheezing was blowing into a tube. 

P-Ranma shrugged as he raised his arms and swept them down like wings. "HURRICANE GUST!" 

The sudden blast of wind blew the fumes right back at the terrible trio, causing them to cough and sneeze as they were subjected to Wheezing's Smog Attack. 

_That's similar to what Surek, the Great Wind Dragon King of the West taught me._ D-Ranma thought. 

When the fumes cleared, Team Rocket was black with soot and looking more pathetic than usual, (if that was possible). Jessie angrily stomped her feet and grabbed the remote from Meowth. "Give me that!" She turned to the Ranmas and said, "Let's see you handle this!" She pushed another button. Inside the submarine, Arbok shot a blast of acid out of an open hatch, followed by a barrage of poison sting needles. 

The other Ranmas backed off a bit as they sensed that the next attack was more dangerous, but Trainer simply nodded to his Golduck. Sea Storm's eyes suddenly glowed. The acid and needles hit some invisible wall in front of them, and were reflected harmlessly away. 

"Thanks for the psychic barrier, Sea Storm." P-Ranma praised. 

"Golduck!" The waterfowl then tilted his head and asked. "Golduck?" 

"Yes you may. CONFUSION ATTACK!" 

The blue Pokémon smiled as he raised a webbed hand, pointed at the sub and focused his psychic powers. Team Rocket lost their footing and fell down the hatch when the sub was suddenly lifted out of the water. The sub went bouncing up and down in time with Sea Storm's hand as he waved it up and down. Then with a final sweep of its webbed digits, the Magikarp sub slammed down hard onto the shore. 

Inside the sub, Jessie, James, Meowth and their Pokémon were dazed after bouncing around inside the craft. It had felt as if they were in a pinball machine. They were all seeing little Golducks spinning around their heads. 

Outside, P-Ranma pointed to the sub and said to his Golduck, "TORPEDO ATTACK!" 

The Golduck shot forward like a missile, its body enveloped in a blue aura. It slammed into and through the entire sub, punching a hole in either side of the craft. Water began flowing into it as Golduck swung around and swam back to shore. 

Jessie, James and Meowth were surprised to see Sea Storm go in through one side and pass by them as he exited the other side. They then screamed in horror as they saw water gushing into their sub. 

P-Ranma smiled as he patted the head of his Golduck and then gestured with a thumb to the sub. "RAIDEN, THUNDERSHOCK!" 

Raiden grinned evilly as he dipped a tail into the water and let loose with a sizzling bolt of electricity. The water that was entering the sub conducted the wattage inside. Team Rocket were lit up like Christmas trees and showed their skeletons briefly as they blinked on and off. 

"OW OW OW OW! YEOW! IY YI YI YI YI YI YI YI YI!" 

P-Ranma shrugged as he thought that Team Rocket had enough and prepared to finish them off. He cupped his hands and pulled them back to his waist. The other Ranmas looked on with interest. 

"What's that?" B-Ranma asked as he felt a huge amount of energy being focused. 

P-Ranma smiled as he replied, "It's something I learned from Sea Storm last week." 

Between his cupped palms, small spheres of orange energy appeared and came together into a larger ball. When the orb grew to the size of a basketball, P-Ranma remarked, "Time for you to go, Team Rocket. HYPER BEAM!" 

The Pokémon trainer threw his hands forward and the sphere suddenly elongated into an orange-red beam of intense energy. The sub exploded and Team Rocket went shooting off into the air while saying their infamous farewell. 

"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET IS BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" 

When they were nothing more than distant dots in the sky, Trainer turned back to his counterparts and said, "So let's get back to lunch. I'm starving!" 

Some time later, T-Ranma's ship was flying through the air again as the five Ranmas discussed with one another about the day's events. 

"No kidding! You mean that Team Rocket is always showing up?" Kojiro asked. 

"Yeah, well not always that group, but someone from that organization is always after me and my Pokémon. It seems like they have a one-track mind and never learn from their mistakes." 

"Heh. Reminds me of Kuno." B-Ranma remarked. 

T-Ranma and Kojiro chuckled at the memories of their encounters with the True Blunder, but Draco and Trainer became confused, since they never met him. 

"Who?" P-Ranma asked. 

"Remind me to tell you later." The blind fighter replied. 

P-Ranma shrugged. "Anyway, it's really great of you guys to give me a lift to the Fuscha Gym." 

"No problem." T-Ranma waved a hand as he sat in the pilot's seat. At the moment he was listening in on the various radio stations. "We should be there in…" It was then that several lights on his console began blinking and the craft began to shudder. P-Ranma and B-Ranma were thrown from their seats and the Pokémon trainer's Pokédex fell out of his backpack. 

"What's going on?" Draco asked. 

"I don't know!" T-Ranma replied as he interfaced with his ship's systems. _Computer, what's happening?_

(*Unidentified entity has entered the ship's navigational systems. Warning, quantum phase drive is now powering up. *) 

_That's impossible, computer! Without a catalyzer, it would take a week for the drive to generate enough of a quantum field!_

[*Analysis indicates that entity is made of pure energy and is accelerating the kerium's ability to produce a quantum field. Alert! Main drive is now engaging! *) 

At that moment, the cruiser shot upward and achieved escape velocity. Fortunately, the ship's inertia dampers were still active and prevented the Ranmas from feeling the effects of the sudden increase of G-Forces. On the front viewscreen, the five Ranmas could only watch in shock as they saw space warp itself around the ship. Before they knew it, they found themselves hurtling through the dimensional nexus. It was at that time that the front console let off a series of sparks and then something appeared above it and took shape. P-Ranma's eyes widened as he recognized the geometrical shapes the body was composed of. He quickly retrieved his Pokédex. 

*PORYGON, THE HOLOGRAPHIC POKÉMON. THIS POKÉMON WAS CREATED INSIDE OF CYBERSPACE. IT IS ABLE TO CAUSE COMPUTER MALFUNCTIONS AND IS COMPOSED OF PURE ENERGY. PORYGON ARE ABLE TO TRAVEL BY RIDING VARIOUS WAVES OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM, INCLUDING RADIO, TELEVISON OR MICROWAVES.*

T-Ranma nodded after hearing the Pokédex. _So, that's it! I was scanning the airwaves and listening in on the communication frequencies of this world at the time. It must have entered the ship through the sensor array! I only had the cloaking device engaged and not the shields! Its body must have caused a power surge!_

"What is that?!" Kojiro asked. 

"It's a Porygon! It must be the one that caused all this!" P-Ranma shouted as he took out a Pokéball to capture it. 

However, Porygon became untouchable as a spark of energy was emitted from the console. The energy enveloped the Pokémon, causing it to vanish. T-Ranma figured that the emergency transporter must have been activated. He put those thoughts aside as he struggled with the controls to get his ship back under his command. He then winced as he looked at the front viewscreen and saw that they were about to tumble into another dimensional vortex. The five Ranmas let off a scream simultaneously as the ship vanished into the space-time continuum. 

Somewhere else in reality, two cloaked figures watched a viewing portal. 

"Wasn't that a little extreme? Putting that Porygon in there?" The first one asked. 

"Well, we had to get him to go with the others somehow." The second one answered. 

"Yes, but he was happy in that world. It seems very unfair to take him from there and put him into this." 

"You know very well that he is needed. Things will turn out all right, you know that." 

"I know. So what about the Porygon?" 

"It was transported safely back to its home world." 

In yet another dimension, the ship reentered real space and was stabilized. Inside it, a Pokémon trainer screamed. 

"What?! What do you mean that we can't go back?!" 

T-Ranma sighed and sadly gave P-Ranma the bad news. "That Porygon messed up the navigational systems and I'm afraid that the coordinates to that world was… lost." 

"Does that mean…?" P-Ranma was in total shock. 

"I'm afraid so." He gave the others a weary glance. "Looks like this ship is going to be a little more crowded." 

P-Ranma sunk to his knees and stared off into nothingness as his Pikachu nuzzled beside him, trying to comfort his distraught master. 

To be continued… 

Author's Notes

For those of you who were wondering how I was going to get Pokémon Ranma to join up with the group, I figured that (ahem) an 'accident' would be the best way of doing it. After all, the others were also pulled into this by an accident. Now as for what's next… that is a secret! (Thank you Xellos!)


	7. Chapter 5

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: I'm innocent! I swear! 

Italic: Thoughts 

* *: Pokédex responses 

(* *): Computer responses 

D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child (Draco) 

T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech (Prototype) 

B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind (Ranma) 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury (Kojiro) 

P-Ranma: Ranma from Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer) 

**Chapter 5 **

Who's that Senshi? 

Universe XP-13345... 

"Okay guys! You know the drill!" Prototype said as he and his counterparts piloted their robot lions against the gigantic Robeasts. "Let's form Voltron!" 

"Aw man! Do we have to do that again?" Kojiro complained as he piloted the Red Lion. 

"Hey, we agreed to take over until the Voltron Force recovered from that virus that Lotor infected on them, so come on!" T-Ranma then spoke into Black Lion's communications system to the others. "You guys ready?" 

"Roger!" B-Ranma declared in Blue Lion. 

"Ready!" D-Ranma said in Yellow Lion. 

"Let's go!" P-Ranma acknowledged in Green Lion. 

"Pikachu!" 

"Kojiro?" T-Ranma asked. 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm ready." The Cat Fist fighter sighed. 

Out in space, the five lions began taking up their positions as T-Ranma initiated the transformation/merging sequences. 

"Form feet and legs!" 

Blue and Yellow Lion bent at the heads as their bodies straightened out to merge with Black Lion's lower half. 

"Form arms and body!" 

Red and Green Lion hooked up with Black Lion's upper half. 

"And I'll form... the head!" 

As soon as Voltron was complete, the nanotech soldier interfaced with the robot's systems, making it far more responsive than it could ever be with its regular pilots. 

"Form Blazing Sword!" 

"All right already! We don't need the play-by-play!" Kojiro growled. 

Voltron slammed its fists together and a huge blade materialized. The sword began to glow with the combined ki energies of its pilots. With a single stoke, the Robeast was cut in half! 

_**KABOOOOM! **_

Universe HT-1674... 

"Do I have to do this?" Kojiro said as he held the Sword of Omens in his hand. 

"Hey, you're the only 'Thundercat' here." B-Ranma said. 

"Oh all right." The Neko Ken fighter was in his hybrid form as he held up the sword and said, "Thunder... thunder... thunder..." 

The Sword of Omens began to elongate itself from a dagger to a longsword. 

"Thundercats... HO!" 

The Eye of Thundera let loose with the Thundercat Signal. 

Universe FR-145623... 

"Shinesman Red!" 

"Shinesman Moss Green!" 

"Shinesman Gray!" 

"Shinesman Sepia!" 

"Shinesman Salmon Pink!" 

The five Ranmas took a pose as they faced off against another monster from Planet Voice. 

"These colors are really terrible!" D-Ranma whispered. Sepia would not have been his color choice. 

"Hey, at least you don't have to wear a skirt!" P-Ranma winced as she had to use her cursed form to use Riko Hidaka's Pro Suit. 

"Gray isn't a great color either. I can't believe that guy and his Montage." Kojiro mumbled. 

"It's times like this that I'm glad that I'm blind." B-Ranma commented as he wore the Moss Green Pro Suit. 

"Put a sock in it. We've got a monster to take care of." T-Ranma said. 

"Easy for you to say, Mr. I-got-the-best-color!" Trainer said sarcastically. If it weren't for the fact that she had to fill in for Ms. Hidaka, she would have taken the red Pro Suit. 

"Hey, it's only temporary until the real Shinesmen get back from that business trip, so get with the program!" T-Ranma took out his weapons and hurled it at the enemy. "BUSINESS CARD CUTTER!" 

"You've got to be kidding." Kojiro said as he watched the monster absorb the cards. The foe they were fighting resembled a walking blob of sludge. 

"Oh THAT was effective." D-Ranma said with a bit of sarcasm. 

T-Ranma sighed. "C'mon guys. If we're going to fill in for the Shinesmen, then we've got to stick with these, (yes, I'll admit), lame weapons." 

"Oh all right, CUFF BEAM!" B-Ranma fired off the blaster in his sleeve. Of course, the monster simply shrugged it off. 

"TIE CLIP BOMB!" Kojiro shouted, though not with much enthusiasm. There was a minor explosion as the tie clip went off. The monster was still unaffected. 

"OH THIS IS JUST TOO STUPID! I FEEL LIKE I'M A MEMBER OF TEAM ROCKET!" P-Ranma shouted as she decided not to use the special Memo Pad. She instead cupped her hands and began focusing her ki. 

The others watched her as she prepared to launch a ki blast. They turned to each other, nodded and began focusing their own ki. To hell with it! The faster they killed the monster, they quicker they could leave this pathetic reality. Even T-Ranma had to admit that this would be better for everybody. 

The monster looked in confusion as it saw the Shinesmen glow with blazing battle auras, then eeped as they launched their own ki blasts. 

"MOKO TAKABISHA!" 

"RAGING TIGER BOLT!" 

"DRAGON FIRE!" 

"SPIRIT SEEKER!" 

"LASER BEAM!" 

_**KABOOOOM! **_

In the control center, Kyoko Sakakibara had a huge sweatdrop as she saw the replacement Shinesmen blow away the monster. 

"Do they really need the Pro Suits?" Tsukasa asked. 

Universe WY-123456... 

"Dragon Card! Return to your Power Confine!" 

_**KLONK!**_

D-Ranma, in his dragon form, frowned as he looked down at Card Captor Sakura. _You have GOT to be kidding!_

Sakura looked up with a HUGE sweatdrop and laughed nervously. She had just beaned a huge dragon on the snout with her wand and expected it to shrink into a Clow Card. 

Hiro also had a sweatdrop as he said, "Uhhh, Sakura? I don't think that's a Clow Card." 

Universe AB-756463... 

"Who are you gonna call?" 

All five Ranmas complete with Proton packs and Ghost Traps, looked at each other, then shook their heads. 

"Naaaaaaahhhh." 

Universe BXX-4563... 

"Here I come to save the day!" 

T-Ranma could only shrug sheepishly as a mouse with a cape attacked them. 

Universe RC-3276... 

"To infinity... and beyond!" 

"Been there, done that." T-Ranma informed Buzz Light Year. 

Universe FRW-3453223... 

"And I would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for those meddling Ranmas and their Pikachu!" The bad guy said after being unmasked. 

Raiden smiled as he nibbled on a Scooby snack. 

And after a few more times of dimension hopping... 

Sailor Pluto was quietly monitoring the Time Stream when she felt the surge of chaotic energy that just suddenly appeared in reality. She began to peer into the Time Gate and was intrigued as a strange-looking craft warped into the Solar System and made a beeline toward Earth. She wondered just what was going on and then became alarmed as she detected not one, but five huge sources of chaotic energies. She was also unhappy to see that the future timeline was now becoming erratic and assumed that the chaotic forces that just appeared were responsible. As she had done previously with anything that disrupted her intended utopia of Crystal Tokyo, she planned to go in and eliminate this threat. However, as soon as she tried to enter the Time Stream, something seemed to prevent her from moving into reality. She tried again and still met the same resistance. 

"Sorry, but we can't let you do that." 

Sailor Pluto whirled around at the sound of the voice and saw two figures dressed in hooded cloaks. Their garb totally hid their identities and the Senshi of Time could only assume that they were the enemy. 

"Who are you? How did you get here?" 

"All will be made clear in time, Setsuna." The first one said. 

"Huh? How did you know my name? I mean... who are you?" 

"Like he said, all will be clear eventually." The second cloaked figure said as he made a simple hand gesture. 

"DEAD SCREAM!" Sailor Pluto shouted as she leveled her staff at them. However, nothing happened, much to her surprise. Her staff emitted no energy. 

The first figure shook his head and said, "It's no use, Setsuna. The spell that prevents you from leaving this place has also neutralized your powers. Now then..." He raised a hand and made a gesture. Sailor Pluto then found herself encased in a transparent sphere. "That should keep you out of trouble until our business is concluded." 

"WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHO ARE YOU?!" Setsuna demanded as she pounded against her prison with her staff. The din she made became very irritating as her staff smacked against the walls with an insistent clanging. 

"Can you do something about the noise?" The first cloaked figure asked the second. 

His companion nodded as he made a clapping gesture. The noises ceased, as Setsuna's prison became soundproof. This only infuriated the Senshi of Time even more as she began cursing in a most unladylike fashion and pounded against the walls even harder. However, the sphere was composed of unbreakable crystal, which somehow allowed her to breathe. 

"Thank you." The first figure then turned his attention back to the Time Gate and watched with his companion as T-Ranma's ship landed near Tokyo. The cruiser had several blaster burns on its hull and was shuddering violently as it entered the atmosphere. 

On Earth, the space cruiser powered down its engines as its occupants got out of their seats and crowded behind T-Ranma at the console. 

"So where are we THIS time?" P-Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma tapped a few controls as his craft accessed the world's communication systems, satellite networks, computer databases and other media. The information began flashing by him on a viewscreen at high speed. T-Ranma's computer took in all the data and after several more minutes, he shut off the monitor and swiveled his seat to face his other selves. 

"Basically, this is Earth, but not any of our Earths." 

The other four sighed in depression, as they were so tired of hearing that. It had been three months since the Pokémon Trainer Ranma had joined them and things had not gotten any easier. The last dimension they had been in had been very hostile and they had been pursued by several hundred Dreadnoughts of some alien fleet. They had barely managed to make the dimensional jump before the entire armada opened fire on them. 

"So what's this Earth like?" D-Ranma asked. 

"Well, for the most part, this world is more or less the same as what you would each know in your home universes, except for one really important detail." 

"What's that?" Kojiro asked. 

"Tell me, have any of you ever heard of the Sailor Senshi?" 

"The Sailor Senshi? You mean that anime or manga?" D-Ranma asked. 

"Is that what they are in your world?" 

"Yeah. My kid sister Kisara is a big fan of them. She watches the show every day." 

"Wait a second, now I remember." B-Ranma said after thinking about it. "Back in the village, Ling Ling and Lung Lung used to read me the stories, whenever they got new manga. Aren't the Sailor Senshi a group of magical girls that fights evil or something?" 

"That's right." T-Ranma said. "They're fictional characters in my world too. My ship's memory bank had the entire series downloaded when I scanned the Internet. I had been planning to delete those files, but I never got around to it. Maybe it's a lucky thing that I didn't." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Brace yourselves guys. In this world, the Sailor Senshi... are REAL!" 

Back at the Time Gates... 

"So the files that our technological friend has is actually a complete synopsis of the Sailor Senshi's history up to this point? Including their secret identities?" The first cloaked person asked. 

"Yeah, isn't coincidence a wonderful thing?" The second one replied happily. "They'll have all the information they'll need to save this world." 

Behind them, Setsuna was still glaring at them with rage. How dare they do this to the Guardian of Time? 

The first person noted the anger being directed at them and smirked at her. "Oh don't get your fuku all bunched up! Those five are here to HELP the Senshi! Pretty soon, something really nasty is going to appear and the Senshi wont' be able to handle it by themselves!" 

Setsuna stopped in her rage when she heard this. Though the crystal stopped sound from coming out of it, she could still hear what those two were saying. 

_What are they talking about?_

On Earth, T-Ranma began giving his counterparts the rundown of what this new world was like as well as how they were going to proceed. 

"Well guys, that's about the size of it." The technological soldier said after finishing his briefing. 

"So we're stuck here for a month?" D-Ranma asked. 

"I'm afraid so." Prototype replied as he brought up a readout display on the ship's damages. "We took several bad hits from that alien fleet. The kerium was strained almost to the point of decrystallization, getting us out of that dimension. It'll take at least 28 days before it becomes stable enough to make another quantum field." 

"So what are we going to do in the meantime?" The blind fighter asked. 

"Well, I'll assume that you don't want to spend the next four weeks inside this ship, right?" The other nodded. "In that case, I guess we'll be settling down in Tokyo for a while. But first..." T-Ranma clicked a switch and a panel in one of the walls opened up to reveal several of his cyberweave bodysuits hanging from coat hooks. 

"Each of you take one of my spare bodysuits. Don't worry about the size, they'll conform to your personal measurements and reorganize into any appearance you can picture in your minds. That includes shoes, underwear or any other kind of garment." 

"What about my Pokémon? I do have to let them out now and then. Besides, Raiden doesn't like to be cooped up in a Pokéball." Trainer gestured to his Pikachu. 

"No problem." T-Ranma called for a device from his pocket in subspace. When it appeared in his hand, he then tossed it to his counterpart. "That's a personalized, holographic camouflage projector. Raiden can use this to blend into his surroundings like a chameleon. No one will be able to notice him, so he'll be able to go wherever he wants. 

P-Ranma looked down at the device, which appeared to be a small pendant on a chain. He bent down and placed it around Raiden's neck. 

Prototype began explaining how to use the pendant. "To activate the device, tap once on the button in the front. To deactivate it, tap the button twice." 

"Pika." Raiden tapped the pendant once and instantly disappeared. 

"Where'd he go?" P-Ranma said as he looked around for his Pikachu. 

"He's still there." T-Ranma explained. "The pendant is just transmitting a holographic image of his surroundings and wrapping it around his form." 

"Pika." Raiden's said from out of nowhere, then tapped the pendant twice to reappear. 

T-Ranma nodded. "I've got several of these pendants, one for each of your Pokémon." 

"Cool!" 

The nanotech warrior nodded as he said, "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's go see if we can find someplace where we can stay for the next month." He turned on the monitor to look up any apartments to rent. 

"It would be nice to be able to kick back, after visiting all those worlds." B-Ranma said. 

"Oh, by the way, guys," T-Ranma said without taking his eyes off the screen. "We're going to have to come up with some disguises for some of us. I mean, five lookalikes named Ranma might seem a bit odd to people. Unlike Trainer's world, we can't pass ourselves off as identical cousins like Jenny or Joy." 

P-Ranma thought about it for a moment, then sighed. "I guess I can use my cursed form and go by the name of..." He paused for a moment, then said, "Ranko." 

"Well, I can use my name of Kojiro, but I really don't know how I'm going to change." The Cat Fist fighter commented. 

"Try this stuff." T-Ranma said as he made a bottle appear out of nowhere. 

"What is it?" Kojiro picked up the bottle, which had some strange liquid, contained within it and a selector switch on the side. 

"It's a special hair dye formula I picked up in the Sireda Quadrant. Just choose a color and add one drop. It will instantly cause your hair to change to the color you selected. Don't worry, it's nontoxic and all you have to do is add the neutralizing solution to return your hair to its natural shade." 

Kojiro considered the bottle then selected a light brown. Adding one drop to his hair, he then looked at himself in a nearby reflective monitor. He was fascinated at how his hair suddenly lightened to a tan color. He then willed his cyberweave suit to become a pair of blue denim jeans, black T-shirt and Hi-Top sneakers. 

Draco then took the bottle and selected red. Soon he became a red-haired person and decided to go with black slacks, shoes and turtleneck. 

B-Ranma was uninterested in changing his hair color and asked if T-Ranma had a pair of dark shades. The nanotech fighter nodded as he made a pair appear. Willing his suit to become his regular clothes, (a Chinese Shirt, black Kung Fu pants and shoes), he then elongated his battle staff to become a walking cane. The Unseen Light Fighter had decided to play the role of a blind man. He put on the shades to complete the disguise. 

A day later, the five settled down in an apartment complex. Not wanting another run-in with sentai teams and such, the Ranmas had all agreed to keep a low profile and not get involved with the Sailor Senshi. They did however, read all about them, just in case they did meet up with them. Little did they know that their involvement with Sailor Moon was the reason why they were here. 

Deep within an underground cavern, an ominous voice began giving out orders to its minions. 

"GO! SEEK OUT AND GET ME SOUL ENERGY! LET NONE STAND IN YOUR WAY!" 

"YES BLODIA!" 

Meanwhile... 

Ranko and her Pikachu were busy shopping in the mall when Raiden suddenly tugged at her pants leg. She looked down at what seemed to be nothing, since Raiden was using his pendant, but then she heard her Pokémon. 

"Pika! Pikachu!" 

After all the time they had been together, Ranko had been able to understand her Pokémon by his tone of voice and gestures. She looked up and her eyes widened as she saw a group of girls walking toward a hairdresser shop. 

"Well I'll be damned! So, those are the Sailor Senshi." Ranko nodded as he recognized the Usagi, Minako, Ami, Makoto and Rae in their civilian identities. They looked just like their pictures in the manga he had scanned; though she thought that the series was too girly for her tastes. How could anyone fight in fukus? 

Ranko saw no reason to meet up with them and decided to head home, when something crashed through the large skylight. People started screaming and dove for cover as broken shards of glass rained down. That was when five huge monsters landed, along with three figures dressed in strange-looking suits. They were in the center of a large open area, near the ice rink. 

"Go Thunderclap! Shock these puny mortals into submission!" The first bad guy said. 

Thunderclap answered with an unintelligible rumble and began emitting large sparks of electricity. The thing was humanoid, but was totally made out of electrical energy. People began screaming as they were hit by lightning and knocked out. 

"Hard Rock! Water Wizard! Stop those mortals from escaping! Their life energies shall be a feast for our master's hunger!" 

The second bad guy directed two other monsters that looked like a Golem and a Fish Demon. They began hurling huge boulders and waves of water to block the exits. 

The third person of the terrible trio directed a beast that looked like a man that had been doused with gasoline and set ablaze. "Fire Storm! Use your flames and keep those Souls from escaping!" 

The fire monster nodded as he began forming rings of fire to surround the crowds of frightened shoppers. Soon the entire mall was sealed off as the three bad guys chuckled and prepared to carry out their evil plans. 

"Here us, puny mortals!" The first one said. He had a shock of purple hair done up in a short-style and green eyes. "We are the servants of the almighty Blodia, emperor of the Dark Dimension and future ruler of the Earth! Now we shall claim your very souls to sate our master's hunger! I, Necton do hereby claim your souls!" 

The second person was bald and had crimson eyes. He was shorter and more portly than Necton. "What do you mean, you claim their souls? We worked as hard as you did! I, Parat claim these souls for Lord Blodia!" 

The third person was a female with long blue hair. She was slender and was a head shorter than Necton. "No! I shall take their souls to Lord Blodia!" 

"Stay out of this, Haldin!" Necton said. 

As they began arguing amongst themselves, Ranko had ducked into a nearby storage room and was looking out from behind the door. She and Raiden had evaded being captured with the others and now wondered if she should intervene. That was when she saw five figures suddenly come onto the scene. 

_I was wondering when THEY WOULD show up!_

"Halt Evildoers! Cease in your dastardly deeds and face the sailor-suited warriors of love and justice!" 

The three villains stopped in their argument and looked over to where the Inner Senshi had appeared. 

"How dare you pervert the purity of water? I, Sailor Mercury shall not allow this!" 

"The raging power of Sailor Jupiter shall teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!" 

"Your fire monster is but a candle to the fires of Sailor Mars!" 

"Sailor Venus shall vanquish the evil with the purity of light!" 

"I, Sailor Moon shall see to it that you will suffer for your intent to harm the innocent! In the name of the moon, we shall punish you!" She then makes some complex hand gestures as she and the other Senshi took a group pose. 

"Sailor Senshi!" 

In the storeroom, Ranko had one really big sweatdrop. 

_They're even worse than Team Rocket!_

The three villains gave off a chuckle as they faced off against their foes. 

"We have heard of you." Necton said as he and his cohorts prepared to fight the Senshi. "We have studied your exploits and knew that meeting you would have been inevitable!" He then gestured to Thunderclap and Hard Rock. "Get them!" 

"SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" 

Jupiter launched a ball of electricity at her foes, only to be shocked, (Pardon the pun), when her attack was brushed off by the stone creature and absorbed by the voltage one. 

"Fool! Electricity means nothing to Thunderclap or Hard Rock!" 

Hard Rock then swung a stony fist at Sailor Jupiter with surprising speed. Makoto was knocked back as Thunderclap followed through with a sizzling bolt. The tallest of the Senshi moaned in pain as she was sprawled on the floor. 

Haldin nodded as she said, "These Soul Seekers were created with powers that can either neutralize or match your abilities!" She then gestured to Fire Storm to attack Sailor Mars and Mercury. 

"BURNING MANDALA!" 

"SHINING AQUA ILLUSION!" 

Both Senshi released their attacks, but Fire Storm became hotter. Mercury's attack was melted away, while the fire rings of Mars was absorbed. It then shot a huge fireball at the two, causing them to scream as they ducked for cover. They were still burned as the blast past by and exploded a nearby shop. 

Parat, not wanting to be left out, directed Water Wizard against Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus. 

"LOVE ME CHAIN!" 

Water Wizard however, suddenly made a spout of water appear from the ground and made it harden into ice. The energy chain was deflected, and then the spout turned back into a liquid form. The water then shot toward the Senshi at high speed and knocked them back. 

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" 

Water Wizard threw up its hands and several more water geysers appeared and merged together to form into a huge watery fist. The fist then came crashing down on top of all of the Inner Senshi, sweeping them back and causing them to slam into the floor. 

"Now Water Wizard! Destroy them!" Parat ordered. 

The creature did as it was told and commanded the fist to expand over its prey. The Senshi found themselves swept up and enclosed inside the fist. Soon the girls found themselves gasping for air. If they didn't get out and soon, they would drown! 

Sailor Mars thought to try and evaporate the water, but as soon as she powered up, she noted that the liquid began to heat up. Any attempt to use heat would boil her comrades. Sailor Jupiter didn't dare try to use her lightning powers as the water would have conducted the voltage and electrocuted the others. Sailor Venus managed to shoot out her Love Me Chain attack at Parat, but Thunderclap fired off a lightning bolt to intercept it. She and others were almost the point of suffocating when they saw Thunderclap aim toward them and prepared to fry them in their watery prison. It was the end. 

That was when a rose suddenly appeared and nicked Water Wizard on the face. This attack did very little damage as it bounced off those tough scales, but it did make the monster lose its concentration over the water fist. The Sailor Senshi came splashing down to the floor as the fist dissipated and flooded the area. As the Senshi were gasping and coughing, they looked up and saw their caped savior standing on one of the upper tiers. 

In the storage room, Ranko was bit confused at the sight. 

"Who's this guy?" 

"Pika. Pikachu!" Raiden pointed to a nearby poster that depicted the five Inner Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen. 

"Oh yeah, now I remember. It's that dope, Tuxedo Kamen." 

Back at the battle scene, Tuxedo Kamen made his customary speech. "Fear not Sailor Senshi. Tuxedo Kamen is here to aid you in these…" 

Parat didn't bother to wait for him to finish as he gestured to Hard Rock. It shot a huge rock at the supporting structures underneath the tier. The masked ally of the Senshi yelped as the tier was knocked out from under him and he went crashing down to where his comrades were still sprawled on the ground. 

Necton laughed at the sight, and then got a more sinister idea. He turned to Haldin and said, "Say, Haldin. Wouldn't it be better for us to take their soul energies for the master, as well as these other humans, instead of just destroying them?" 

Haldin nodded and said, "Why not?" She then threw up a hand and said, "COME FORTH, GATHERERS OF THE SOUL!" 

Suddenly, the Inner Senshi and their ally found themselves held by ghoulish-looking imps that appeared behind them and wrapped their arms around their bodies. They screamed out as they began to feel their life energies begin to drain away. 

Haldin and her partners laughed as she gloated, "Well now, Sailor Senshi. It seems that you and your ridiculous friend shall also give your soul energies to feed our master! How very generous of you! HA HA HA HA HA!" 

Back in the storeroom, Ranko winced as she saw the Inner Scouts and Tuxedo Kamen getting their life energies leeched away. 

"Oh that Tuxedo Kamen was BIG help!" The Pokémon Trainer said sarcastically. 

"Pikachu!" 

"Yeah, I know we've got to help them, but how? Prototype told us to keep a low profile and…" 

It was then that Ranko heard two more voices. 

"WORLD SHAKING!" 

"DEEP SUBMERGE!" 

A ball of light rumbled across the ground, followed by a ball of water. The Inner Senshi smiled, as they knew whom those attacks came from. However, so did the minions of Blodia. 

Hard Rock stomped a foot to the ground, causing a huge seismic tremor and a wide trench to form. Sailor Uranus' attack was caused to veer off course as it hit the trench. As for Sailor Neptune's attack, it too was deflected as Water Wizard caused another one of its water geysers to form in its path. 

The Outer Scouts were shocked to see their attacks stopped, as they stood there with their mouths open. 

"I was wondering when you would show up." Haldin commented. 

"I am…" Sailor Uranus began, trying to bolster her courage. 

"Yes, we know." Haldin cut her off. "You are Sailor Uranus and she's Sailor Neptune. Big deal. Just more soul energy for the master. Get them!" 

"Look out!" Sailor Moon cried out. 

"What… ARRGGGGHHH!" 

Sailor Neptune and Uranus found themselves being drained as several of the Soul Gatherers had snuck up from behind and latched themselves onto them. 

The three villains chortled as Parat said, "These are the famous Sailor Senshi? That was too easy!" 

"I recall that there are supposed to be thirteen of them." Haldin said. 

"No matter." Necton said. "After the life forces are collected from these eight, the overall strength of the Senshi will be diminished, and the remaining members will be easier to handle. We will get them all soon enough. It will only be a few minutes more before the soul energies from these Senshi are totally drained and they shall vanish into nothingness." 

At the Time Gate, Sailor Pluto was pounding away furiously at her crystal prison. 

"LET ME OUT! I HAVE TO HELP THEM! PLEASE!" 

The first cloaked figure shrugged as he said to the Senshi, "Keep your fuku on! The Inner and Outer Senshi are about to get some first-class help!" 

"Yep! Though I am kind of curious as to how our Pokémon Trainer is going to pull this off." The second robed figure said as they peered into the Time Gate. 

Ranko groaned as she saw the Senshi begin to fade away into nothingness. "Aw crud! They really need help now! What can we do! We can't just charge right in there!" 

"Pikachu!" Raiden pointed to the poster again. 

Ranko turned to her Pokémon and said, "I know we have to help them, but… " That when Ranko realized what Raiden was suggesting. "Oh no! Uh uh! Not that! Wearing the Shinesman Pro Suit was bad enough! I am NOT going to put on a fuku!" 

"Pikaaaaa." Raiden pleaded. 

"Oooooooooohhhhhh… all right, all right already! Hold on!" Ranko began imagining herself in a Sailor Senshi outfit. In less than a second, the cyberweave bodysuit reorganized itself and the Pokémon Trainer was garbed in skirt, white top, white knee-high boots, arm-length gloves, and a stylish tiara on her head. She then got an inspiration as she saw another anime poster depicting a space heroine. She then concentrated and her tiara became framed around her face like a headmask and with a red visor. Her skirt flared to take on a silver metallic sheen. Her boots and gloves also changed color to match her skirt. Taking out a bottle of the hair dye that she got from T-Ranma, she selected a silver-blonde color and instantly turned her scarlet tresses to match her disguise. Then she adjusted her belt of Pokéballs to fit her slimmer waist and said to Raiden, "Raiden, I'm afraid that you'll have to get into your Pokéball for a few minutes if this plan to work!" 

"Pika!" Raiden was reluctant to do so. 

"Please Raiden! There's no more time to argue. We have to help them now!" 

Raiden sighed, then nodded. 

Ranko took out Raiden's Pokéball and said, "Just tell the others to play along okay? Here we go! Raiden return!" 

At the Time Gates… 

"Good grief! He's not going to…" 

"Oh boy! This'll be interesting!" 

At the scene, the trio chortled as the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen were almost totally drained. It was at that time that they saw a bright flash above them. The Senshi and their caped ally also looked up and saw a silhouette of a Sailor Senshi in front of a blinding light on an upper tier. 

"Another Senshi! Get her… arrrggghhh!!!" Necton screamed as another blinding flash caused him and his cohorts were temporarily made sightless. Without their masters to direct them, the monsters stood in confusion. 

That was when Ranko made her entrance. 

"To protect the universe from devastation!" 

A blast ki shot out and hit the imps that were holding Sailor Moon and Venus. The imps recoiled in shock and dissipated, leaving the depleted Senshi to slump to the floor. 

"To defend the innocent without hesitation!" 

Another blast freed Mars and Mercury. 

"To uphold the values of truth and love!" 

Sailor Jupiter and Tuxedo Kamen were then released. 

"By kicking bad guy butt to the stars above!" 

Sailor Uranus and Neptune were then freed. 

"I am… the SILVER SENSHI!" 

It was then that everyone looked up and saw Ranko glowing with a brilliant light as her battle aura reflected off the silver highlights of her costume, making her appear as some kind of angel. She made some intricate motions with her hands as she delivered the final part of her speech. 

"I am the COSMIC sailor-suited warrior of justice and light!" 

She then struck a pose while pointing at the bad guys. 

"Surrender now or PREPARE TO FIGHT!" 

At the Time Gate… 

"SILVER SENSHI?" Pluto gasped. 

The two cloaked figures were too busy laughing their heads off. 

[Pokémon Eyecatch] 

"Who's that Senshi?" 

We see an empty silhouette of Ranko in her Sailor Senshi costume. Then it fills in and we hear the answer while the Great Crossover Logo appears. 

"It's Silver Senshi!" 

We hear Ranko say, "SILVERBOLT FLASH!" 

[End of Pokémon Eyecatch] 

And now the mayhem begins… 

"Silver Senshi?!" All the Inner and Outer Senshi gasped as Ranko cupped her hands in front of her and launched another ki blast. 

"Errr… _quick, think of an attack name_, SILVERBOLT FLASH!" 

As the Pokémon trainer and martial artist had hoped, the Moko Takabisha let off a brilliant flare as its light reflected off the metallic sheen of her costume. Hard Rock took the blast in the face and screamed as he was blinded. Ranko took the initiative and leapt down to engage the enemy. Several of the Soul Gathering imps tried to dogpile her en masse, but they were nothing against her crushing kicks and punches. Sparring daily with Bruiser had enhanced the power of P-Ranma's blows almost to the point in which she could shatter a Rhydon's outer hide without even trying. The remaining imps were quickly dispatched as the weakened Senshi watched in awe. 

"Look at her go!" Sailor Jupiter said as she wondered if she could learn her martial arts moves. 

"Who IS she?" Sailor Moon asked to no one in particular. 

Sailor Mercury engaged her visor and was astounded by the readings she got. The energies the Silver Senshi was emitting were of an unknown form and didn't correlate to anything they had previously encountered. 

Necton and the others were also wondering who this newcomer was. They had absolutely no data on this Senshi. 

Haldin shouted to Thunderclap. "Thunderclap! Attack!" 

Just as Ranko reduced the last of the imps to pulp, she turned around and saw the electrical monster hurl a huge bolt of lightning at her. She simply smiled and let it strike her. Thunderclap was understandably shocked when the attack was shrugged off with ease. 

"Hah! You call that an electrical attack? That was NOTHING!" It was true. P-Ranma had received far more voltage sparring with Raiden. "THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL ATTACK! THUNDERBLAST BOMB!" 

Jupiter gasped again as she saw Ranko hurl a huge ball of lightning at Thunderclap. "She's… got my powers!" 

Thunderclap reeled as it was struck with far more wattage than it expected and was just barely able to absorb it all. 

"Not bad Thunderclap, but let's see if you can stand up to the MY ally of thunder! I call upon the spirit of lightning, Raiden!" 

P-Ranma threw out her Pokéball and Raiden appeared to take a stance. 

Necton and the others burst out laughing as they saw the electric mouse. "Hah! You think that oversized rat can defeat Thunderclap?" 

"RAIDEN, THUNDERSHOCK!" 

"Pika… CHUUUUUUUUU!" 

P-Ranma's Pikachu had been through a lot of intense training since they met and now was able to summon up enough voltage to light up a small city. Thunderclap was blasted backward as it was unable to absorb all that power at once. 

"NOW, DOUBLE-TEAM THUNDERBLAST BOMB!" 

The trio all gaped in disbelief as Ranko's and Raiden's electrical attacks merged into one tremendous sphere of power and slammed into the lightning monster, causing it to explode into a shower of sparks. Now, things were getting serious! 

"Fire Storm! Water Wizard!" Parat called out. The creatures of fire and water advanced on the Silver Senshi. 

Ranko smirked. "Fire and water, huh? No problem! I'll just fight fire with water and water with fire! Wildfire! Sea Storm! I choose you!" 

Two more Pokéballs were thrown out and Ranko's Rapidash and Golduck appeared. 

"Whoa!" Sailor Mars became entranced at the sight of the flame-horse as Mercury tried to analyze the strange duck-looking creature with her visor. 

Pikachu began gesturing to his fellow Pokémon to follow their master's orders, despite his appearance at the moment. 

"Attack!" Haldin cried out. 

"SEA STORM! PSYCHIC TSUMANI! WILDFIRE, BLAZING HORN CHARGE!" 

"Golduck!" 

"Neigh!" 

Wildfire suddenly accelerated forward and slammed into the Water Wizard before it could summon up an attack. Water Wizard was driven back and slammed into another shop. When the dust cleared, the creature was severely burned and dazed. At the same time, Sea Storm's attack crashed into Fire Storm, literally putting out its flames and caused it to be swept back and into another shop. 

Ranko then powered up to finish the job. 

"ICE BEAM!" 

Fire Storm was instantly encased in ice as Mercury's jaw dropped to the floor. The Silver Senshi's cold powers were far more potent than her was! 

The pseudo Senshi then engaged her Rapidash Run technique as she charged at the downed Water Wizard. Her silver costume glowed as Ranko leapt up and came down at the monster with both feet. 

"SILVERFIRE KICK!" 

Both feet slammed into the Water Wizard and caused a fiery explosion, disintegrating the fish demon on the spot! 

_And I thought I was hot stuff!_ Sailor Mars thought. 

At the same time, Sea Storm was finishing off his opponent with his psychic powers. Using his Confusion technique, he levitated the block of ice that contained Fire Storm and bashed him against a far wall. Fire Storm shattered into little ice cubes and was no more. 

By this time, Necton, Haldin and Parat were more than dismayed at their forces being whittled down. Only Hard Rock remained and if he fell, then they would have to face off against this formidable Senshi and her strange creatures. They decided to leave their last creation to its own devices and vanished. 

Hard Rock found itself… well, between a rock and a hard place. One girl and her pets had destroyed its allies, and its masters had deserted it! It decided to beat a hasty retreat but found the nearest exit blocked by the Silver Senshi and her Pokémon. 

"And just WHERE do you think you are going?" 

Hard Rock decided that since it was doomed, it decided to try and take this meddlesome girl with it. As the golem went into a suicidal charge, the Silver Senshi took out her remaining Pokéballs. 

"For your crimes against the innocent, I shall let my allies of Rock, Wind and the Fighting Spirit punish you! Wind Rider! Bruiser! Razor! GO!" 

At the Time Gates… 

"He's really getting into the spirit of this, isn't he?" The first cloaked person commented. 

"I guess all those encounters with Team Rocket must have rubbed off on him." 

At the mall… 

The Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen were totally flabbergasted as they saw Ranko's Machop, Pidgeotto, and Sandslash beat the living daylights out of Hard Rock with wind, fists and slash attacks. 

"Man! And all we got are a couple of talking cats!" Venus said. 

Hard Rock fell to its knees and knew this was the end. P-Ranma's Pokémon returned to their master's side as she prepared to deliver the final blow. She began to raise her ki again and said, "Now… feel the force of Mother Earth herself! ERUPTION BLAST!" 

A geyser of power exploded beneath Hard Rock as Ranko slammed a palm to the ground. Sailor Uranus was impressed as Hard Rock was sent upward and exploded into pebbles. 

"Not bad!" 

"Not bad?! She's a Senshi team all by herself!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. 

Ranko smirked at Sailor Moon's comment as she held up two fingers in a vee and winked. "Victory!" She took a group pose with her Pokémon. Wildfire reared on his hind legs and let off a whinny. Sea Storm stood on his master's left and made a muscle pose. Razor held out his claws in a ready stance. Bruiser matched Sea Storm's pose on P-Ranma's right. Wind Rider landed on Wildfire's back and spread out his wings. Raiden stood in front of the Silver Senshi and held up a paw in a victory vee as well. 

The crowds of spectators cheered as photos were being snapped. That was when the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen gathered up their returning strength and began to approach P-Ranma. The Pokémon trainer knew that now was the time to leave and faced her Pokémon. 

"You have all done well my allies." P-Ranma said dramatically as she held up her belt of Pokéballs. "Now return to your power confines!" She activated five of the Pokéballs' recall switches. 

Five beams of red light recalled Raiden, Wind Rider, Razor, Bruiser and Sea Storm, leaving Wildfire behind. Before the Senshi could get close enough to question her, Ranko leapt onto her Rapidash's back. "Ride like the wind, Wildfire!" She pulled back on the reins, causing Wildfire to rear up on his hind legs again. 

Then the Rapidash and its rider were gone in a trail of fire, dashing out of the main entrance. The doors had been blown away during the battle and left a large enough hole for them to make their escape. 

"Wait!" Sailor Moon called out, but the Silver Senshi was already gone. 

Some time later… 

P-Ranma held his head as he and the other Ranmas watched the evening news in their apartment. Kojiro and Draco were laughing hysterically at the sight of P-Ranma's Silver Senshi disguise. 

"Hey, it's not funny!" P-Ranma shouted. 

Raiden patted his master's arm to comfort him. "Pikachu." 

"Okay guys, that's enough!" T-Ranma said as he shut off the television. He then walked over to his counterpart and patted him on the shoulder. "You did good, Trainer. Don't let the others get you down. If I had been in that situation, I would have done whatever I could to help them as well. Those were pretty impressive odds you went up against, right guys?" He turned to his other counterparts. 

Kojiro and Draco sobered up and nodded. 

"Yeah. All things considered, you really kicked some serious butt." Kojiro admitted. 

"Very impressive." Draco added. 

"I don't think any of us could have done any better." B-Ranma said. 

"Thanks guys." P-Ranma smiled a bit when the laughter stopped. "At least I won't have to do THAT again! Those fukus are really drafty!" 

At the Time Gate… 

"Oh how little he knows, eh?" The first mystery person said. 

"You bet! Things are going to be even more hectic, for ALL of them!" The second unknown individual said. 

In her crystal prison, Sailor Pluto winced at the thought of even more chaos that would be unleashed on the Earth. 

To be continued… 

Author's Notes

For those of you who thought I was off my rocker when I wrote this, well you're right! I was being in a really silly mood and I think that a few of my readers are probably rolling on the floor after reading this! Well, expect even more craziness and outrageous ideas as the Great Crossover Crisis begins to pick up speed!


	8. Chapter 6 (part 1)

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: Take my word! It's here somewhere. 

: Thoughts  
(* *): Computer responses 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury  
T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech (Prototype)  
B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind (Ranma)  
D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child (Draco)  
P-Ranma: Ranma from Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer, Ranko) 

**

Chapter 6 

**

Part 1 

Superhero Slamfest! 

P-Ranma shook his head as he looked at the display window of a toy store. Behind him, Kojiro and D-Ranma smirked. Sitting on his shoulder, and invisible to any passerby due to the cloaking pendant, was his Pikachu. 

"I don't believe this! I'm an action figure?" The Pokémon Trainer commented as he stared at the newest addition to the Sailor Moon toy line. The package proudly showed off the new doll and her six 'Elemental Allies.' 

"Pika." Raiden thought that the little toy Pikachu was cool with its light-up cheek pouches. 

"Not a bad likeness." Kojiro remarked, while just barely holding in a snicker. 

"Oh shut up!" Trainer retorted as he angrily stomped off. 

The two other Ranmas went to follow their counterpart. 

"Hold up Trainer! I'm sorry. Really I am!" Kojiro said as he placed a hand on P-Ranma's shoulder. 

The Pokémon trainer looked back at the Cat Fist fighter and sighed. "It's all right. I guess I should have expected something like this. I thought that being the Silver Senshi was going to be a one-time deal but..." 

D-Ranma and Kojiro nodded compassionately. The sudden appearance of the new Senshi had several complications, especially with the media and the bad guys. They began thinking about what T-Ranma had told P-Ranma two weeks ago. 

Flashback... 

"Huh? What do you mean I have to keep being the Silver Senshi?!" 

T-Ranma crossed his arms and said. "Well, think about it. You and your Pokémon had just trashed a major group of villains. Those same villains almost destroyed most of the real Senshi. Now do you think those bad guys are going to let that pass? They'll be out for your blood now." 

"So? They won't be able to find me and besides, I'm hanging up my fuku!" 

T-Ranma shook his head. "It's not as simple as that. The real Senshi are now up against an evil that they can't handle by themselves. Today's little escapade proved that they need the Silver Senshi. Those bad guys are going to hurt the Sailor Senshi and the innocent bystanders even worse to get to you. I'm afraid that you're too deep into this situation now. Until this whole thing is resolved and we're sure that Senshi will be all right when we leave, I'm afraid that you will have to watch out for them as the Silver Senshi." 

"Why me? What about you guys? Can't you guys give them a hand?" 

"As I said before, we really need to keep a low profile. It was bad enough that you were forced to reveal yourself to aid them, though I don't blame you, since you had no other choice. It's a good thing that you had that disguise. We'll try to give you as much help as we can, but it would be best to minimize any more exposure to ourselves. One Ranma in this world is bad enough, but five may be too much!" 

P-Ranma let off a depressed moan as T-Ranma's words sunk in. 

End of flashback... 

Despite his protests, P-Ranma had reluctantly carried on with his guise of the Silver Senshi. T-Ranma's assessment of the situation had been accurate. The bad guys were not the slightest bit amused at having their mighty creations destroyed by a mere girl and her pets. Since that time, the attacks on the innocent public and the Sailor Senshi had increased in both frequency and intensity. Therefore, the five dimensional Ranmas had taken steps to keep a vigil over any danger to the Senshi and to Tokyo. D-Ranma, Kojiro and P-Ranma, (as Ranko), had registered as exchange students at the school where the Inner Senshi attended in their civilian identities. T-Ranma used his ship's sensors to monitor for any unusual activity as B-Ranma roamed the streets in his blind man's disguise. Whenever one of Blodia's minions would appear, P-Ranma would secretly become the Silver Senshi and race to the rescue, often appearing just in time to save one of the Inner or Outer Senshi. Unfortunately, each time the Silver Senshi appeared, the media would have a field day and soon enough, Ranko's alter ego had gained a huge following of fans. Silver Senshi merchandise was now flooding the stores, including lunch boxes, T-shirts, bedroom slippers, beach towels, dolls, and other things. P-Ranma thought that he would go totally nuts, if he heard one more person quoting the introduction speech that he had borrowed from Team Rocket. 

Although he disliked fighting the forces of evil in such a ridiculous costume, P-Ranma had to admit that the rush was exhilarating. He liked being able to cut loose and the battles did help in training his Pokémon. The fame was nice as well. 

Meanwhile, in the secret hideaway of Blodia, the monstrous leader of the Soul Eaters was angry. He glared at the viewing portal as he watched the Silver Senshi and her Elemental Allies destroy another one of his Soul Stealers. This time Ranko used her Hyper Beam to blow the Soul Hunter away. 

"ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH! BLAST THAT SILVER SENSHI!" 

Blodia glared at his servants Necton, Haldin and Parat as they trembled before their master. For the past two weeks, the Silver Senshi had beaten seventeen of their strongest Soul Hunters as well as destroyed fifty Soul Gatherers. Things were getting desperate and the master was getting impatient at the lack of Soul Energy that they had collected. The life forces that they had drained at present were just barely enough to keep Blodia's hunger sated, but at the rate they were going, they would run out of Soul Hunters and Gatherers in less than a month. 

"WHO IS THIS SAILOR SENSHI?" Blodia boomed. 

"We do not know sir!" Necton said in a meek tone. "As you know, we had done an extensive study on this world's defenders, the Sailor Senshi, before we came here. This world is rich in soul energy and would be ours for the taking if not for those protectors. That is why we had our Soul Hunters adapted to defeat them." 

"SO WHY ARE THEY UNABLE TO DEFEAT THE SILVER SENSHI?" 

"Sir, we have very little data concerning this new Senshi and we cannot determine the full extent of her powers. Even with all the information that we collect with each battle, she would still win against the Soul Hunter, even after we modified it. Without even a general idea of her full capacities, we cannot create a Soul Hunter with enough power to defeat her! Furthermore, we still have those other Senshi to deal with as well." 

"OF ALL THE INCOMPETENT... WAIT! THAT'S IT!" 

"What is it, Master?" Haldin asked. 

"WE HAD BEEN GOING ABOUT THIS WRONG! SENDING ONE OR TWO SOUL HUNTERS AFTER THE SILVER SENSHI IS FAR TOO SLOW AND INEFFICIENT! WHAT WE NEED IS A GROUP EFFORT! THE SILVER SENSHI HAS THOSE ELEMENTAL CREATURES TO AID HER, SO LET US EVEN THE ODDS!" 

Blodia's laugh made the blood of his minions run cold as he began formulating a plan. 

At the City Park, Usagi and her friends were discussing things on a bench. Nearby, Kojiro, Draco and Ranko sat at another bench. Using their enhanced hearing, the Cat Fist fighter and dragon warrior listened in on their conversation. 

"So did you hear the latest about the Silver Senshi?" Usagi asked Minako. 

The blonde nodded as she replied, "Yeah. That was way cool when she blasted that Soul Hunter with that Hyper-Beam attack of hers! She's got MY powers too! So did Luna tell you anything about this Senshi during the Silver Millennium?" 

Usagi shook her head. "No. She says that she doesn't recall any Senshi like that. She says that this Silver Senshi might not be a real Senshi at all. 

"Well, whoever she is, she's awesome! If she's not a Sailor Senshi, then she should be! Hey! We ought to invite her to join our group!" Makoto said. "I'd love to learn those martial arts moves of hers!" 

"I'm more interested in those elemental creatures of hers. I've never seen such animals before." Ami commented as she typed on her laptop. 

"They're cool too! I really like that mouse of hers. That electric critter is so cute!" Minako said. 

Rene, who had been absent from the first time, the Silver Senshi had appeared, also nodded. "She's really cool!" 

At the table where the three Ranmas were sitting, Raiden smirked. "Pika." 

"Shh, Raiden! Keep it down!" Trainer whispered. Though the pendant that the Pikachu was wearing made it invisible, people could still hear the electric rodent. 

At the Time Gates, the two hooded figures continued their vigil on the five Ranmas. Meanwhile, Sailor Pluto was still in her crystal prison. Somehow, the prison kept her alive and well, without any food, water or need to get rid of wastes. With her powers still neutralized, she was forced to watch with her captors as time unfolded. 

"What is the purpose of ALL of this? The CHAOS that those five have already caused has made the future of Crystal Tokyo..." 

"Oh will you stop going on about the future of your precious Crystal Tokyo?" The first hooded figure said with much annoyance. 

"Yes, those five are there to make certain that Crystal Tokyo will be saved!" The second figure said with irritation. 

This got Setsuna's attention. "W-W-What?!" 

The first cloaked figure sighed and said, "The chaos that threatens to wipe out your Crystal Tokyo is from Blodia, not from those five. He represents the greatest threat to the Senshi. That first encounter alone had proven that the Inner and Outer Senshi won't be able to handle his minions, let alone Blodia himself!" 

The second figure nodded. "Blodia and his followers come from a dark realm which feeds on the life forces of others. They had made an extensive study of the Sailor Senshi and had created Soul Hunters that can neutralize every one of the Senshi. The only way to counter this threat was to introduce some elements that he was unfamiliar with. Those five dimensional beings possess not only the power to defeat Blodia, but also have the right attributes to save all of reality." 

The first figure nodded. "Yes, and knowing your penchant of destroying any element that threatens your precious future of Crystal Tokyo, we knew you would have eliminated those five the moment they appeared in this reality. That's why we stopped you." 

The other figure continued. "So until Blodia is defeated, you're going to have to stay here and do nothing! Consider yourself lucky that the sphere you are in is magically sustaining you, so you won't require any food, water or going to the bathroom!" 

Setsuna pounded against the walls of her prison. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS! YOU'RE MAKING THE TIME STREAM..." 

The second figure made a clapping gesture and Setsuna's prison became soundproof again. 

"What a hypocrite!" The first figure mumbled. "She's supposed to be the Guardian of Time and not interfere, but she's already used her powers to change the course of history several times already!" 

"Well, what can I say? All that power she received has made her feel that her past actions was justified. If there is one kind of person that annoys me, it is someone who thinks that he or she has the right to play god. She has no right to decide who is to live and who is to die. Kami-sama gave people the right to choose their own destinies and Pluto there, thinks that her way is the only way! Sheesh!" 

"Yes, well haven't you thought that perhaps we're doing the same? I mean, the way we're manipulating those five Ranmas?" 

The second figure sighed as he responded. "I suppose we are, but unlike Pluto, we're not trying to control the destiny of others. We are just trying to ensure that the people of all reality have a CHANCE to choose their own fate. Once those five are done here, they will be moved to another dimension that needs their help. The people of this world will still be free to make their own decisions, though I rather suspect that Pluto will continue to stick her nose into other people's business to ensure that her 'perfect' future comes to pass." The hooded person glared at the Senshi of Time. "And besides, once this is all over, they will be sent back to their home dimensions to fulfill their own destinies, without any interference from anyone else." 

"I suppose." The other person sighed. "Though I wish that we could have just sent those five to their ultimate destination sooner." 

"Remember that old saying that success is not in the destination, but in the journey?" The second mystery person asked. "We could have sent those five to that dimension right away, but they would have been ill-prepared and not become the cohesive group that they are now. They need that teamwork and closeness. They have gotten to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. They understand each other, and though they may not agree on some things, they do hold great respect for one another. Remember the reasons why we selected those five in the first place." 

The first person nodded as he produced an image of T-Ranma. "The technological Ranma is the most mature of all of them. He has considerable leadership skills and possesses tremendous power. His military background gives him an advantage in tactical planning and he has access to almost unlimited resources. His social skills are also the most developed." 

The second person nodded as he conjured up an image of Kojiro. "Kojiro represents independence and seems to be the most emotionally expressive of the group. He's not afraid to show his feelings and his Cat Fist abilities give him a decided edge in both combat and other situations. His willful determination is a valuable asset." 

Another image of Ranma was conjured up, this time of B-Ranma. "The Amazon Ranma represents the opposite to Kojiro's ferocity. You could think of him as Kojiro's yang to his yin. He represents serenity and understanding. His Unseen Light powers and healer skills make him perfect for situations in which brute force does not apply. 

"The Ranma who "is part dragon also plays an opposite." The first hooded figure said. "He represents magic as compared to Prototype's science. As you well know, ANY Ranma in any dimension will have some kind of link to the mystical forces. His magical abilities shall aid the others as they continue on." 

"Yes, and finally, the Ranma who is a Pokémon trainer, shall be the wild card. His training and Pokémon shall be of great help, as he has already displayed as the Silver Senshi. He has shown what good friends are capable of and the friendship he has created between his Pokémon shall only get stronger as time goes on. He is already becoming closer to his counterparts as well." 

Meanwhile... 

As the three Ranmas kept a close watch on the Sailor Senshi, walking down the streets in his blind man's guise was B-Ranma. He was discretely following Rae as she went grocery shopping. His senses easily picked up the hidden potential within the Senshi of Fire. Her Sailor powers might be able to keep sighted people from recognizing her face as Sailor Mars, but they were ineffective against a person who could sense an individual's inner being. B-Ranma noticed her from the very start and deduced her as one of the Senshi. When he heard one of the shopkeepers call her Rae, his suspicions were confirmed as he remembered the name from the manga that Ling Ling and Lung Lung had read to him. 

Just as Rae was heading home with a bag full of groceries, the blind fighter frowned as he sensed very hostile intentions being directed toward Rae. His seventh sense picked up several figures that were following her and assumed them to be thugs. He quietly leapt toward a nearby third-story ledge on a building adjacent to the sidewalk that Rae was traveling on. 

Meanwhile, the empathic Rae began to feel very dark emanations and sensed that she was being followed. Peeking out of the corner of one eye, she spotted a couple of shadowy figures some meters behind her. She knew that they were intent on robbing her or even worse and tried to elude them. Ducking into a nearby alley, she became dismayed to discover that not only was it a dead end, but there were three more thugs waiting for her. The street toughs snickered as one brandished a knife and said, "Well, well, look what we have here." 

"She's a cutie." The second one said as he brandished a tire iron. 

"I can see that we're going to have lots of fun tonight!" 

Rae looked behind her and saw that the other two were now blocking the exit. _Five against one! Not good!_ The temple girl dropped her bag and took a defensive stance. She was going to make these goons regret on choosing her for a target. She didn't have a black belt in Karate for nothing! 

Perched on a ledge above the alley, B-Ranma nodded as he assessed her stance. _Not bad! She might not need my help after all and... uh oh! Check that!_ B-Ranma's sixth sense went off as one of the hoods pulled something out of his jacket. Judging by the shape of the object and the way he held it, the blind Amazon recognized it as a gun. He had learned about such weapons before in the Amazon village. A few years ago, the village had been attacked by soldiers of the Chinese Army but had repelled the invaders. They had kept a few of their weapons as souvenirs. His sensitive nose also caught the faint odor of gunpowder. Now the introduction of this weapon changed the odds and B-Ranma knew that he had to intervene. Rae couldn't transform into a Senshi without revealing her identity. Taking into account of what T-Ranma said about keeping a low profile, he mentally commanded the clothes he was wearing to take on a new appearance. 

_Oh well! If Trainer can do this superhero thing, then so can I!_

The cyberweave body suit shifted its appearance to take on a darker tone. Soon B-Ranma was decked out in a black, short-sleeved body suit, black boots, and headmask. The mask covered everything but his lower face and chin. He made certain that the mask was thin enough to allow his sensitive hearing to operate. His eyes were now hidden behind a webbed mesh that would have obscured the vision of a normal person. Stylized shoulder pads appeared, and his hands became encased in fingerless gloves. With only his mouth, nose and fingers exposed to allow for his enhanced senses of smell, touch and taste, B-Ranma looked like some black-suited avenger (think of Daredevil dressed in black). As a final touch, B-Ranma thought of an image of a stylized eye imprinted on the left side of his chest. Extending his battle staff to its five-foot length, the blind Amazon used his Hidden Weapon techniques to make a smoke bomb appear. He hurled it down to where Rae was facing off against her assailants. 

Just as the five were about to close in on her, a small object dropped to the ground and exploded into thick clouds of black smoke. 

"What the hell?!" 

"What's going on?" 

"I can't see!" 

Rae was just as confused as he assailants as she had been contemplating of transforming into Sailor Mars. She was just outside of the sudden smokescreen and could see the faint shadows of her attackers as they blindly flailed about. Then a sudden blur of movement was felt as something dropped in from above and began darting in and out among the thugs. 

"What the...?" 

WHAP! 

"Who the...?" 

SMACK! 

"Who's there?" 

POW! 

"Huh?" 

CRUNCH! 

In less than five seconds, four of Rae's attackers were down and out as the temple girl wondered just what was going on. The she saw a large, dark shape suddenly appear in front of her, and as the smoke cleared, her eyes widened as she got a good look at her rescuer. 

He was tall and was well formed. The skintight bodysuit he wore accentuated his powerfully built back. He wasn't bulky like a power-lifter, but had a lean, build like a gymnast. She couldn't discern his face, since half of it was covered by the mask, though she did like his hardened chin. His mouth was a thin, line as he faced off against the last thug, who was still holding out the gun. 

"Who the hell are you?!" The tough asked. 

B-Ranma smirked as he held out his staff. "I'd like to say I'm your worst nightmare, but you probably see your worst nightmare every day when you look into a mirror." 

"WHY YOU!" 

"LOOK OUT!" Rae cried out as the thug raised his gun and fired. 

"Don't worry!" B-Ranma said as he started spinning his staff like a propeller. 

Rae gasped in amazement as the staff spun at amazing speed. The pole made a circle of energy appear as it spun and the bullet was deflected away when it hit the ki shield. 

"Huh?" The thug gasped and then began to fire repeatedly at his opponent. 

"Two..." BLAM! "Three..." BLAM! "Four..." BLAM! B-Ranma calmly counted off each shot as they were fired. His seventh sense tracked the flight path of each bullet and he angled his shield accordingly so that the ricochets wouldn't harm anyone. 

"Five..." BLAM! "Six..." CLICK! CLICK! "Well, it looks like you're out of ammunition." The blind Ranma stopped spinning his staff and waited for his opponent to make a move. 

The tough saw that his gun was now useless, hurled it at his foe, then started running. "Help! He's a monster!" 

B-Ranma calmly deflected the spent firearm and then rushed forward. With a graceful flip, he landed in front of the thug. Before the hood could do anything, he used the Amaguriken technique to deliver several shiatsu strikes to paralyze him on the spot. 

"I'M a monster?" B-Ranma said casually, yet with irritation. "From what I've seen, you and your friends are the REAL monsters, for attacking an innocent girl. Now apologize to her." 

"Huh?" 

B-Ranma simply tapped a nearby trashcan and used the Advanced Breaking Point to cause it to crumble into powder. He sensed the fear in the hoodlum after he had witnessed it. "Must I repeat myself? I said to apologize to her." 

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" If the thug had been able to move, he would have done the Crouch of the White Tiger. 

B-Ranma nodded as he used another pressure point to paralyze the vocal cords of the criminal, then turned back to walk toward Rae. 

Rae backed off a bit after witnessing what B-Ranma had done. The blind Ranma stopped for a moment as his sixth sense detected her uneasiness and fear of him. He then sensed something rushing at him from behind. 

"LOOK..." 

WHAM! 

B-Ranma simply pivoted on one foot and sent a reverse roundhouse kick to the attacker's midsection. One of the hoodlums that B-Ranma had put down earlier had regained consciousness and tried to blindside him (pardon the pun), but the Unseen Light fighter simply countered the attack and sent the thug flying. The mugger slammed into a wall and slumped back down into la-la land. 

"Tsk, tsk. Shame on you for trying to sneak up on someone like that." The blind Amazon wagged a finger at the unconscious hood, then smiled at Rae. "Are you all right?" 

"Uh, yes... thank you." Rae stuttered. 

"No problem!" B-Ranma said happily as his ears picked up the distant wail of police sirens. Apparently, someone must have heard the gunshots and called the police. "Well, I guess I'd better be going. See you!" 

"Wait! Who are you?" Rae cried out as B-Ranma turned to leave. 

The blind Amazon smiled as he replied without facing her. "Call me... the PERCEPTOR!" 

He then leapt up to an amazing height of thirty-five feet and triangle-jumped off the opposite wall before disappearing over a rooftop. 

Rae was left standing in awe as a police car rounded the corner and came to a stop at the alley. 

Some time later, at the apartment that the Ranmas were staying at... 

"The Perceptor?" T-Ranma said in disbelief after B-Ranma had finished with his story. The other Ranmas also stared at him in shock. 

B-Ranma could only shrug helplessly as he replied. "Well, I couldn't just tell her my REAL name, now could I?" 

The technowarrior shook his head and sighed, while pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's bad enough that Trainer has to go about as the Silver Senshi. Now you had to get involved as well?" 

"Hey, I couldn't just stand there and..." 

Prototype held up a hand and said, "It's all right, Ranma. Like Trainer, you didn't have much of a choice, now did you?" 

"Yeah. At least the media didn't get wind of you." Draco said. 

"Yeah, and your superhero costume's a LOT cooler!" Kojiro said. 

"I wish I could have thought of something like that!" Trainer mumbled. Maybe he could try a different disguise, like that Tuxedo Kamen guy. Maybe something along the lines of Karate Mask or something. 

It was then that the television began showing a news bulletin and the five Ranmas looked at the screen. Apparently, the forces of Blodia were on the rampage again as more than fifty Soul Gatherers were draining the life energies of people in downtown Tokyo. On the scene were the Inner Scouts and they were having problems dealing with so many of Blodia's minions all at once. 

"I guess that's my cue." P-Ranma sighed as he took off his Water Stone Pendant, splashed himself with a glass of ice water, and then willed the body suit to change into the Silver Senshi costume. 

"I'll have the ship's transporter beam you to those coordinates." T-Ranma said as P-Ranma put her Water Stone on and recalled Raiden into his Pokéball. He mentally linked up with his cloaked ship as its console lit up. The transporter circuits activated and the Silver Senshi was whisked away. 

Some time earlier... 

"Are you sure that it wasn't Tuxedo Kamen that saved you?" Makoto asked after Rae had finished telling her friends about her encounter with the Perceptor. 

"No. He called himself the Perceptor and he took out those thugs as if they were nothing! He acted like he had eyes in the back of his head!" 

"Was he cute?" Minako asked. 

"I couldn't tell since he wore that mask, but he was tall, pretty well built and..." Rae's voice trailed off as she blushed a bit. She recalled that fine figure, but what caught her attention the most, was how he looked at her. Although the mask hid his eyes, the temple girl felt as if he had been staring into her soul. She then remembered that eye insignia on his chest and wondered if that had anything to do with him. 

"Wow. This is weird." Usagi said. "First the Silver Senshi shows up, and now another new superhero." 

Ami nodded as she began running statistics on her computer. "It may be just a coincidence, but somehow, I don't think so. It may be..." 

The blue-haired girl of the group was interrupted when the television began showing images of an attack in downtown Tokyo. They saw Necton, Haldin and Parat directing their monsters against innocent civilians. Wasting no time, she and the other Sailor Senshi called out their transformation phrases and became the sailor-suited warriors of love and justice. 

At the Time Gates... 

"Hmmm, it looks like Trainer might be biting off more than he can chew this time around." 

The second person nodded and said, "Well, he's not going to be alone this time." 

In downtown Tokyo... 

Necton smirked as the Soul Gatherers had finished draining a group of people of their life energies. All that was left of those poor souls were their clothes as they faded away into nothingness. It was then that he saw a group of girls appear on the scene and sighed. Not the Senshi they were waiting for, but something to amuse them until their real target showed up. 

"Stop you servants of evil!" Sailor Moon said as she and the Inner Scouts went into their customary group pose. "I, Sailor Moon..." 

"Yadda, yadda, yadda, we've all heard this before." Haldin said in disgust as she motioned to a tentacled Soul Hunter. "Octoponia! Deal with them!" 

Before Sailor Moon or the rest of the Senshi could react, the octopus-like creature shot several of its arms and wrapped them around the Inner Scouts. The girls began to feel that same sickening feeling as their life energies began to drain away. 

"You couldn't even defeat our previous Soul Hunters, so what made you think that you could better this time?" Necton said. 

"Like our new, improved Soul Hunters?" Parat gloated. "Not only do they seek out precious soul energies, but they can also drain it away like the Soul Gatherers. Of course they do so in a more painful manner, but I can guess that you've already found that out." 

The five Senshi cried out in agony as their energies were being stripped away. It was then that Usagi looked up and saw a familiar, caped figure about to throw in a rose. 

"Tuxedo..." 

"ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" 

Before Usagi's horrified eyes, something came up and tackled Tuxedo Kamen from behind. In less than a minute, their would-be rescuer was levitated to the streets below in a crystal prison. Behind Tuxedo Kamen's confinement cube was another Soul Hunter that seemed to be made of diamond. 

"Very good Shard." Necton complimented. "Now drain him as well. He's worse than useless, but his life energy shall help assuage our master's hunger." 

"Not so fast!" 

All three villains looked over to one side and saw Sailor Neptune, Uranus and Chiba-Moon standing ready. 

"Now you shall..." 

"ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!" 

Before Uranus could say another word, a huge shadow suddenly appeared behind them and engulfed the three Senshi in a cold, black void. The shadow then reshaped itself into a huge silhouette in a humanoid form. The face was a featureless, except for two, glowing red eyes. One could hear the tortured screams of the Senshi it had just engulfed within its body. 

"Well done, Shadow Stalker." Haldin smirked as she turned toward the Senshi who were still being held by Octoponia. "What is IT with you and these OVERDRAMATIC ENTRANCES OF YOURS? I swear, they take more time than the battle themselves!" 

"Yeah, don't you know that talk is cheap?" Parat teased. "I'm sick to death of your speeches. It's a good thing that we won't have to hear them any longer!" 

"Yes, well their life energies will be drained within a few minutes, so I suppose this is when the so-called calvary is to arrive." Necton said. 

"SILVERBOLT FLASH!" 

"Ah, right on time." Necton commented as P-Ranma's ki blast shot down from above and slammed into Shadow Stalker. The sudden flare of light caused the dark creature to expel Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Chiba-Moon from its depths. Of course by now, the Senshi were too weak to offer any help. 

From a nearby rooftop, P-Ranma had decided to forego the customary intro speech and focused on freeing the other Senshi. 

"SILVERWIND STRIKE!" 

The blast of pressurized air hit Octoponia in the head, causing it to lose its grip on the Inner Senshi. The Silver Senshi then leapt down and charged at the prison that held Tuxedo Kamen prisoner. 

"SILVERFIRE KICK!" 

Dashing at the crystal cube with her Rapidash Run technique, the Silver Senshi leapt up and delivered a burning kick to break Tuxedo Kamen free. He too slumped to ground after having much of his life force drained. 

P-Ranma wasted no time as she backflipped and triggered the release switches to her Pokéballs. In an instant, Raiden, Wildfire, Wind Rider, Razor, Sea Storm and Bruiser appeared to stand behind their master. The group was now between the weakened Senshi and their tormentors. 

"We have expecting you, Silver Senshi." Necton said as three Soul Hunters gathered behind him, Haldin and Parat. "It seems that we have been through this situation before. Kind of like déjà vu, don't you think?" 

"Yeah, and just like the like the last time, my allies and I are going to kick your butts back to your master!" 

"Not this time!" Haldin declared as she made a signaling gesture. Suddenly, the dozens of Soul Gatherers began to morph into larger shapes and sizes. That was when P-Ranma began to get a sinking feeling as she found herself facing not three, but more than FIFTY Soul Hunters. 

Parat smiled evilly as he said. "Our mistake in dealing with you before, was that we only sent one or two Soul Hunters against you. With those creatures helping you, our minions were usually outmatched and outnumbered. NOT THIS TIME!" 

"Now what are you going to do, Silver Senshi?" Haldin sneered. "You cannot possibly win against such overwhelming odds, nor can you protect your comrades at the same time!" 

P-Ranma gritted her teeth. Haldin had a point. The Senshi were too weak to defend themselves and going up against that many enhanced Soul Hunters was not exactly instilling her with comfidence. 

At the Time Gates... 

"Whoa. This must be what George Armstrong Custer must have felt at the Little Big Horn." 

"Don't worry. Here comes the cavalry!" 

At the apartment where the other four Ranmas were staying, T-Ranma shook his head and said, "Looks like our Pokémon trainer has bitten off more than he can chew." He turned toward his counterparts and sighed. "I guess we're going to have to get involved after all." 

The three other Ranmas gave him a frown as they realized what they had to do. 

"Oh no! You don't mean.?" Draco asked. 

"Yes. It looks like we're going to have to get into the superhero biz again." 

"Oh no! C'mon! You promised we wouldn't have to do this again after that Shinesman universe!" Kojiro snarled. 

"If you guys got a better idea, now's the time to tell me." T-Ranma gestured to the television as the Silver Senshi was about to be attacked en masse. "Think of a superhero name and try to imagine a costume." _Computer, teleport all of us to the battle scene, and use whatever means necessary to make our entrance flashy. We have to make this look good!_

(*Affirmative. *) 

"We're going to get you for this." Kojiro growled as he and the others vanished. 

At the Time Gates. 

"Popcorn?" 

"Thanks. And here we GO!" 

And now. 

"Any last words?" Necton said as he prepared to signal the Soul Hunters to attack. 

"None you'd want to hear!" P-Ranma said as she and her Pokémon powered up their battle auras. 

"So be it! Atta." 

That was when four beams of light shot down from the heavens and four figures in black rode the beams to the ground. 

"What the hell?!" Necton exclaimed as he and his cohorts backed away from the bright rays of light. 

"What's happening?" Sailor Moon asked. 

The Silver Senshi smirked. This could only mean one thing. The cavalry arrived. "Looks like the rest of the team is here." 

"Team?" The Sailor Senshi gasped. 

Within the beams of light, T-Ranma spoke as he called forth his Phase I Exo-Armor. Spectators could only make out the outline of his body as the armor appeared and fused to his bodysuit. When the light faded, T-Ranma was standing in all his technological glory. 

"Who are you?" Haldin demanded. 

T-Ranma smirked as he turned to his comrades. "Guys, introduce yourselves!" 

The second beam of light faded away and revealed B-Ranma in his new superhero costume. The blind warrior took out his battle staff and displayed some intricate motions with it. He then ended with a pose as he held aloft his weapon. 

"I'M PERCEPTOR!" 

Sailor Mars gasped. "It's him!" 

The third beam faded to reveal Kojiro in his hybrid form. He was wearing a stylish battle harness and briefs, as well as open-toed boots to allow for his clawed feet. He also had bracers on his wrists and epaulets on his shoulders. Making a few slashes that left trails of ki energy, he roared out his name. 

"CALL ME SABER CLAW!" 

The third beam of light revealed D-Ranma in armor that was a cross between medieval styles and that of a samurai's. The helmet was shaped like a dragon's head and hid Draco's face beneath the helm. He took out his Sword, Crimson Fang from its scabbard, made several incredibly graceful motions with it and then struck a pose. 

"I'M DRAGON-KNIGHT!" 

T-Ranma smirked as he turned his attention back to Blodia's servants. "And you can call me. TECHNO 1! With the Silver Senshi at our side. (Whispers to the others to take a group pose). we are. the JUSTICE FIVE!" 

The other Ranmas all groaned inwardly as they took a group pose with `Techno 1' and powered up their battle auras. The sheer power that emanated from them made the minions of Blodia think that THEY were now up against more than they could chew. 

At the Time Gates. 

"SOMEBODY has been watching TOO many Power Ranger episodes!" 

To be continued? Most certainly! 

Author's notes

Okay, I admit it! I've gone totally nuts, but that's what I like most about fan fiction. I can do practically anything that I want with this story. I know by now, everyone is again rolling on the floor, but hey, it's all for fun, right? Next will be part two of this chapter as the five Ranmas must face off against Blodia to ensure the future of the Sailor Moon world! Be there! 


	9. Chapter 6 (part 2)

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: So many trademarks, so little time. 

: Thoughts  
(* *): Computer responses 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury (Kojiro)  
B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind (Ranma)  
P-Ranma: Ranma from Fist of the Pikachu (Ranko, Trainer)  
T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech (Prototype)  
D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child (Draco) 

**Chapter 6  
Part 2  
The Justice Five!**

"JUSTICE FIVE?!" The Sailor Senshi and the minions of Blodia gasped. 

"ATTACK!" Techno 1 shouted as the five Ranmas charged into battle. 

"Destroy the Sailor Senshi!" Necton shouted to the Soul Hunter named Shard. The crystal monster began firing off huge diamond spikes at the weakened Senshi, intending to impale them. 

"DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!" Dragon Knight shouted as he came between them and the deadly projectiles. A huge green circular shield appeared before him and deflected the spikes away from the girls and Tuxedo Kamen. Before Shard could launch another barrage, Saber Claw slammed into its side with both feet, plowing into it and sent it sprawling. 

As Shard was getting up, Kojiro used one of his more intense moves. 

"TIGER CLAW FRENZY!" 

More than four hundred slashes were raked against the chest of the crystal monster. However, as the Cat Fist fighter stepped back, he was surprised to see that Shard had suffered only minor scratches. 

"HA!" The Soul Hunter sneered. "I am like diamond, the hardest natural substance on this world. You cannot harm me!" 

"Oh yeah?" The Neko Ken martial artist powered up his claws, which glowed with a blue light. "RIP CLAW BARRAGE!" 

This multi-hit version of the original Rip Claw Slash took Shard by surprise as it was forced back by Kojiro's assault. When Kojiro leapt back again, Shard laughed and said, "Ha! That didn't even leave a scratch!" 

Kojiro smirked and crossed his arms. "Hah! Big talk for someone who just got sliced up like an onion." 

It was at that time that Shard screamed out in horror as its body fell apart into fifty neat pieces. Shard had been reduced to shards! The pieces then dissolved into powder. 

Sailor Venus gave a low whistle at the ferocity and feline grace of the cat-man. Her eyes roamed over that exotic-looking body and she could only say one thing. 

"Meow." 

Meanwhile the Unseen Light fighter was mixing it up with the Shadow Stalker. The dark demon thought it had the advantage as it hid behind objects and merged with the shade and dark corners. It then suddenly enveloped the blind fighter inside its body. Sailor Neptune, Uranus and Chiba-Moon let off cries of horror. They remembered what it had been like inside that creature. The Perceptor didn't stand a chance! 

However, unknown to everyone, B-Ranma had let himself get caught. During the battle, his senses had detected the weakness of the Shadow Stalker, which was inside of its body. Though it was mostly intangible, the inside did have a bit of substance that probably comprised of whatever passed for its mind and soul, if you could call it that. A better description would be that B-Ranma had discovered Shadow Stalker's nucleus. Aiming one end of his staff and focusing his ki into the end, he drove his weapon forward. 

Shadow Stalker screamed in agony as the ki blasted into its control center. It began to writhe in pain and its body began to become solid. That was when the superhero inside shouted out. 

"BATTLE STAFF EXTEND!" 

On each side of Shadow Stalker's body, the ends of the staff rammed from the inside. The monster's body began to stretch in order to contain itself, but a moment later, it was ripped in half as the staff went to its full length of 250 feet! Both halves of the Shadow Stalker were each driven into a nearby building and splattered into an icky, sticky mess. Gross! 

The two Outer Senshi and Sailor Moon's future daughter fought hard to hold down their lunches at the sight, then turned to see the Perceptor calmly shrinking down his staff. Sailor Mars was looking at him with a longing expression. There was just something about him that was so... she couldn't describe it, but she knew that she had to see the face behind that mask. 

As the Perceptor was wiping himself clean, the Silver Senshi and her Pokémon were literally cutting Octoponia down to size. 

"BUZZSAW BARRAGE!" 

"Slash!" 

Three arms were cut off. 

"ICE BEAM!" 

"Golduck!" 

Another two arms became frozen in ice, then snapped off. 

"KI BLASTS!" 

Wind Rider, Bruiser, and Raiden obliged by launching power blasts and eye beams. Three more arms were blasted off. 

"STOMP!" 

Wildfire neighed and ran over the last arm. 

"HYPER BEAM!" 

P-Ranma launched her most powerful attack at present, to blast the now unarmed (pardon the pun) Soul Hunter into pieces. 

The Silver Senshi shrugged and turned to the others. "Anybody for sushi?" 

T-Ranma was taking most of the heat off his comrades after materializing a pair of plasma rifles and shoulder-mounted laser cannons. When the fight started, he moved forward and let off an intense barrage, blowing away ten Soul Hunters in the first thirty seconds. He kept the majority of the attackers at bay as his comrades picked off a few of them at a time. After a full minute, the nanotech warrior analyzed the situation and decided on the fastest way to end this fight was to take them all out at once. He called to his counterparts on the communicators they each carried. 

"Guys! This is taking too long! Try to herd them all into one area in front!" 

The others acknowledged and began using their powers to force the monsters to where T-Ranma wanted them. One monster that resembled a praying mantis managed to break through their lines and tried to attack the still helpless Sailor Senshi. Sailor Mercury screamed as it raised an ugly claw and brought it down toward her. 

_**CLANG!**_

The brainiest member of the Senshi opened her eyes and saw that the claw had been intercepted by a katana. D-Ranma snarled at the Soul Hunter and said, "One Soul Hunter, extra crispy, coming up! DRAGON FIRE!" 

The Soul Hunter screamed in agony as it was charred into ashes. 

"Are you okay?" 

Sailor Mercury nodded as she felt the overwhelming warmth radiating from this otherworldly being. For someone who was a firm advocate of science and logic, the magical aspect of the Dragon Knight made him even more intriguing. She activated her visor to get some readings, but the heavy magical aura about him gave her nothing but static. 

Meanwhile, using Raging Tiger Bolts, Cat's Eye Beams, Spirit Seekers, and several blasts from a proton blaster, the rest of the Soul Hunters were forced into a small area in front of T-Ranma. It was then that Techno 1 began materializing his arsenal. As he had done with the Boomers in the Bubblegum Crisis world, he materialized two particle beam rifles with grenade launchers, twin auto cannons on the sides of his gauntlets, and switched the lasers on his shoulders for the plasma cannons. The micro-missile launchers on his chest, legs and sides opened up. As his computer began selecting the first targets, Techno 1 began getting a feeling of déjà vu. He then smiled and said, "Hasta la vista, Soul Hunters!" 

The Soul Hunters all eeped as they saw the weaponry materialize a second before they were all blown away. The Sailor Senshi, Tuxedo Mask, the four other Ranmas, and the three servants of Blodia, covered their ears as the carnage that T-Ranma unleashed on the Soul Hunters was deafening. A minute later, it was all over after the explosions from missile detonations and the energy bolts stopped. What was left of the Soul Hunters was not enough to sweep under the carpet. The weapons of the nanotech soldier were still smoking as he said, "I REALLY LOVE THE SILENCE AFTER A SALVO!" 

Sailor Jupiter whistled and said, "Where can I get one of those?" And she wasn't talking about the weapons. _I bet he looks just like my old sempai under that helmet!_

Necton, Parat and Haldin had huge sweatdrops. Their mighty Soul Hunters had been annihilated. They quickly transported themselves back to their master as soon as T-Ranma began aiming at them. When they disappeared and the threat was therefore over, Techno 1 recalled his weapons back into subspace. It was then that he noticed D-Ranma was waving around his sword and drawing in some kind of energy that was floating around. The blade glowed softly as it slowly took in the strange lights. 

"Hey Dragon Knight. What are you doing?" 

The other Ranmas crowded around their dragon counterpart as he explained. "All this energy that's floating around are the life essences that those Soul Hunters had stolen from those innocent people I have to collect it all before they are lost forever." 

"But what good will that do? Aren't they... dead?" Kojiro asked. 

It was then that Perceptor's keen senses picked up something. "Wait a minute! I sense some kind of imbalance of life energies. It's as if those people are still here, yet not here." 

T-Ranma knew better than to doubt his blind counterpart's amazing sensory capabilities. He engaged his scanners and readjusted them to see things within the astral plane. His eyes widened as he saw dozens of figures floating around in a pocket of subspace. "My god! They're all still here!" 

"What are you talking about?" The Silver Senshi asked. 

"It's only a theory, but I think that when the Soul Hunters drain the people of their life essences, their physical bodies don't just dematerialize. They're actually shunted to some kind of subspace pocket!" 

"You mean, those bad guys use those bodies for something? They don't just take people's souls?" Kojiro began to turn green at the thought. 

"Apparently. I myself, don't want to know what they use them for, but this gives us a chance to bring those people back!" 

"We can bring them back?" P-Ranma asked. 

"Yes." He turned to Dragon Knight. "I can teleport those bodies to the physical plane. Can you separate each life essence and restore them to their rightful bodies?" 

"I believe so." Draco replied. "Fortunately, the life forces didn't have much time to merge together inside the Soul Hunters, so it shouldn't be too hard to separate each individual soul. I haven't had much practice at this kind of thing, but it can be done." 

"Let's do it!" 

Some time later... 

The crowds were still watching in awe as the Justice Five prepared to restore the last victim of the attack. The little five-year-old girl materialized on her back as T-Ranma commanded his ship's teleporter to transport her to the physical plane. The Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen were especially interested as they leaned forward and waited. 

D-Ranma spread out his arms then directed Crimson Fang at the little girl. A mist of glittering energy came forth from the blade and was absorbed into the body. A moment later, the girl opened her eyes and sat up. 

There was a deafening cheer as the last of the Soul Hunters' victim had been restored. It was at that time, the Justice Five decided to take their leave and began to walk away. The Sailor Senshi and their caped ally were still weak, but D-Ranma assured his counterparts that their life essences would eventually replenish themselves. 

"Wait! Hold it right there! Stop!" 

The five Ranmas ignored Sailor Moon's cries as they smiled to each other and took one last group pose. 

"JUSTICE FIVE! STRONG!" 

Reporters and television crews began to take pictures, as the five were teleported away. 

A few days later... 

"Hey Prototype! Get a load of this!" 

The technological warrior looked up from the workbench inside his ship as Kojiro held up a poster. The picture depicted the Justice Five in their parting poses during that last battle. Since then, things had quieted down and the five had decided to take a break from the superhero business. 

"Well, I see that we made quite an impression." Prototype commented as he turned back to the project he was working on. 

"I'll say! We've been monitoring the communication lines all day!" The Cat Fist fighter shrugged. "The Internet is jammed with stuff about us. New Justice Five merchandise is already being planned. They've got Justice Five action figures being made, lunch boxes, T-Shirts, (I'm not too crazy about the boxer shorts), and a lot of stuff! Maybe this superhero stuff isn't so bad after all." 

"As I recall, you were the one most against going out in tights. What changed your mind?" 

"Well..." Kojiro reddened a bit. "Whenever we got to be superheroes in those others dimensions, we were only stand-ins. That universe with the Shinesmen was the worst!" 

"Yes, I'll admit that they were really pathetic." T-Ranma allowed. 

"Well, this time it's different. We get to act on our own! I'll admit that I was kind of skeptical about all this. I can understand Trainer not wanting to be the Silver Senshi, but still, we really kicked butt back there! It feels really great to be able to go all out like that!" 

"I suppose that it's your tiger side that's making you feel this way." T-Ranma commented. "We have been trying to keep our abilities under wraps each time we visit a world, so I guess you feel a little confined." He added an extra comment with a smirk. "And I suppose all that fame doesn't hurt either." 

"Whatever. Hey, what's that you're working on?" Kojiro pointed to some strange devices that resembled fancy wristwatches. 

T-Ranma held up one of the devices and handed it to his feline counterpart. "It's a little something extra that I have been making for the four of you, the next time we go out as the Justice Five. Now don't you believe that we haven't heard the last of those bad guys. Like I explained to Trainer to continue on as the Silver Senshi, those people are not going to take their last defeat lying down. I'm guessing that whoever is behind all this is a very powerful being. After the way we trashed their last batch of Soul Hunters, I'm pretty certain that they are in the process of some major plan. We'd best be prepared. To save this world, we may have to pull out all the stops and destroy whoever's behind this once and for all." 

"Hey if worse comes to worse, you can always use that Annihilator Cannon of yours to blow them away." 

Prototype shook his head. "Too risky! Those Soul Hunters are always near people to steal their life essences! Firing the Annihilator in a populated area is like launching a ballistic missile into a crowd to get one terrorist! That's why I had these made." 

"What are they?" 

"These are special subspace recall devices. Each are linked to a set of old power-boosting armor that I had in storage. I've modified each set of armor to each of my counterparts to match his specific abilities. See those two switches? The first switch will increase the wearer's powers by tenfold. The second switch will increase the wearer's powers by a hundred times. USE ONLY IN EXTREME EMERGENCIES. The sudden increase in power may prove too much for your bodies to handle if you keep it on for too long." 

"Cool!" Kojiro said as he strapped on the device. "But what about you?" 

"Don't worry. I've got my own system and my nanites can handle whatever those Soul Hunters can throw at me. Now call the others. I need to explain these devices to them." 

Meanwhile, in Blodia's lair... 

"IDIOTS! MORONS! I WILL NOT STAND FOR ANY MORE FAILURES!" 

For the past several days, the master of Necton, Haldin and Parat had raged after his servants had returned empty-handed. With the loss of more than fifty Soul Hunters and the life forces they had gathered, the dark lord was not pleased. The bodies that had been shunted to the subspace pocket had been returned and that made Blodia even more enraged. Though he used the soul energies of his victims as food, he also found great use for the bodies those life essences once inhabited. The soulless bodies became zombielike and were excellent slaves. Furthermore, they were also a source of raw materials create their Soul Hunters and Gathereres. Now their stores of stolen soul energies were dangerously low. 

"Please Lord Blodia! We did not expect the arrival of these newcomers, nor did we expect the Silver Senshi to be a member of this Justice Five." Necton whined. 

"SILENCE!" 

The three servants immediately backed off at their master's bellow. They shivered as they awaited for Blodia's next orders. 

"IT SEEMS THAT WE MUST PUSH OUR PLANS FOR TAKING THIS PLANET'S LIFE FORCES AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. MY HUNGER GROWS WITH EACH PASSING DAY, AND THE PITIFUL AMOUNTS OF SOUL ENERGY YOU HAVE PROVIDED ME THUS FAR CAN NO LONGER SUSTAIN ME! I HAVE DECIDED ON MEASURES THAT ARE MORE DRASTIC! WE SHALL DESTROY THE EARTH AND RELEASE ALL THAT DELICIOUS LIFE ENERGY AT ONCE!" 

"Destroy the Earth?" Haldin gasped as her two cohorts became pale. "But Master..." 

"SILENCE! YOU THREE HAVE FAILED, NOT ONLY IN PROVIDING ME WITH NOURISHMENT BUT ALSO IN YOUR MISSION TO DESTROY THE DEFENDERS OF THIS WORLD!" 

"But Master! We only knew of the Sailor Senshi!" Parat protested. "We had no idea that this group calling themselves the Justice Five would appear. And wouldn't they come to stop us if we tried to destroy the Earth?" 

"BAH! I CARE NOTHING FOR YOUR EXCUSES! CONSIDER YOURSELVES LUCKY THAT I STILL HAVE NEED OF YOU OR I WOULD HAVE DEVOURED YOUR LIFE ENERGIES LONG AGO!" Necton and the others shivered at that. "IN ANY CASE, I WOULD HAVE DESTROYED THE EARTH AFTER DRAINING IT TO A LIFELESS HUSK ANYWAY! THE ONLY REASON WHY I DID NOT DESTROY THIS PLANET IN THE FIRST PLACE WAS BECAUSE I DID NOT WISH TO WASTE THE PRECIOUS ENERGY THAT I HAD WHEN WE ARRIVED HERE! HOWEVER, NOW THE TIME FOR ACTION IS HERE! I SHALL BEGIN PREPARING TO TEAR OUT THIS PLANET'S CORE AND THEN FEAST ON THE LIFE ENERGY THAT WILL BE RELEASED IN THIS WORLD'S DEMISE!" 

"But Master! What about the Sailor Senshi and the Justice Five?" Haldin said. 

"THEY SHALL BE YOUR CONCERN! USE WHATEVER RESOUCES WE HAVE LEFT TO CREATE SOUL HUNTERS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO DELAY THEM! IT SHALL TAKE ME A DAY TO BUILD UP ENOUGH ENERGY TO DESTROY THIS WORLD! NOW GO!" 

Back at the Time Gate... 

"Please! Let me out!" Setsuna begged as she tiredly pounded at her crystal prison. 

The two cloaked figures looked back at her as the first one said, "Why? So you can go down and eliminate the five who are trying to save this world? Not a chance!" 

"I promise that I won't harm them!" Setsuna had heard Blodia's plan to destroy the Earth. As of this moment, the chaos that the five Ranmas were causing was the least of her worries. Destroying the planet would definitely ensure that Crystal Tokyo would not be a reality. 

"Yeah, right." The second hooded figure said. "You may say that, but we know how you like to twist things and say only what you want people to hear. You'll just wait until the major crisis is over, then you'll turn on them and destroy them, since they'll still be a threat to your precious future of Crystal Tokyo." 

Setsuna was taken aback. How did they know her so well? 

"Just sit back and watch the show. It's getting near the climax." 

"And after that, we just MIGHT let you out." The second figure clapped his hands again and Setsuna was forced to suffer in silence again. 

On Earth... 

"No way! Techno 1 is the coolest!" Makoto said as she and her friends talked in Rae's temple home. Both Artemis and Luna were there as well. The tallest of the girls took on a dreamy look. "I'll bet he looks just like my old sempai!" 

The others groaned as Minako said, "How can you tell if he is under that helmet? Besides, Saber Claw puts him to shame! He's so fine!" The blonde took on her own dreamy look as she remembered the sinewy and exotic look of the cat fighter. 

"I'd to learn more about that Dragon Knight." Ami said. 

"You can have him. Perceptor is the one I want to know about. I still have to thank him for saving me." Rae said. 

"Man! That Silver Senshi is SOOOO LUCKY to be hanging out with those guys!" Minako said with envy. 

"I wonder if they're looking for new members? How does the name, Justice Six sound to you?" Makoto said with a mischievous grin. 

"MAKOTO!" The others exclaimed. 

"I'm only kidding! You know that I'd never leave you guys! Still, it would be nice if could get to meet up with them again." 

"I wanna see those Elemental Allies of the Silver Senshi." Rene chirped. "Hey, do you think I could get one?" Rene began having daydreams about herself as Sailor Chiba-Moon and her animal sidekick. "Sailor Chiba-Moon and her Elemental Ally!" 

"I don't think you're ready for a pet, Rene." Usagi said. 

"Awwww, but what about you and Luna?" 

"She's not a pet, she's..." Usagi trailed off as she tried to describe her advisor. 

"Your sidekick?" 

"I BEG YOUR PARDON!" Luna said with a bit of displeasure. She was an advisor, not a sidekick for comedy relief! 

As the Inner Senshi continued to discuss about the newest superheroes in Japan, Micharu, Haruka and Hotaru, also known as Sailor Uranus, Neptune and Saturn soon joined them. Hotaru had just returned from a long trip and was filled in on the events of the past weeks. They were wondering why Setsuna had yet to contact them. Surely something as big as the appearance of the Silver Senshi and the Justice Five would have brought in the Senshi of Time. Just where was she? 

Meanwhile, trouble was brewing (and we all know what that means!). Necton and his comrades had just finished creating their most powerful Soul Hunters and were ready to wreak total carnage. Unlike their last creations, these new monsters were at least ten times more powerful and now, the concern wasn't about collecting life energies. In fact, it would be more accurate to call these monstrosities as Soul Destroyers! 

Deep within his lair, Blodia had begun building up power. 

Back at the Time Gate... 

"So this is it huh?" 

"Yep. It looks like there's going to be some major butt-kicking!" 

"Let's just hope it won't be the Justice Five that gets their butts kicked." 

"Don't worry! If we had any doubts, we wouldn't have chosen those five Ranmas." 

Down on Earth, the five Ranmas, aka the Justice Five, were totally unprepared when a huge shockwave blasted through Tokyo, causing several tall buildings to shudder. T-Ranma instantly tapped into the television news. The image on the screen made him wince. 

"That is one BIG Soul Hunter!" Kojiro commented. 

"Well guys. This is it. Looks like the bad guys are pulling out all the stops." T-Ranma said as he looked at the energy readouts that the sensors were picking up. "Energy readouts are shooting over the top and... Uh oh!" 

The screen then showed four huge Soul Destroyers appearing along with the first. Each was about the size of a twenty-story building and actually resembled the Soul Hunters that the Silver Senshi had destroyed during her first appearance. There were gigantic versions of Hard Rock, Water Wizard, Thunderclap, and Fire Storm. The fifth Soul Destroyer was a gigantic version of the Shadow Stalker. Every time it spread its arms, a section of buildings would be enveloped, leaving nothing but a barren area. 

"Look! The Sailor Senshi have arrived!" P-Ranma said as he pointed to one corner of the screen. 

"Hey! Who's that?" D-Ranma asked as he pointed to a Senshi in a purple fuku. 

"That's Sailor Saturn." T-Ranma replied. "She's supposed to be the most powerful of the Senshi, but according to the manga, she's got a real big problem in controlling her powers. If she's not careful, she'll end up destroying the world." He turned to his counterparts and said, "Well, here we go guys." 

"Okay, let's do it!" B-Ranma said as he changed into his Perceptor disguise. 

"I'm ready!" P-Ranma had changed into her Silver Senshi costume and adjusted her belt of Pokéballs. 

"Time to save the world." D-Ranma said dryly in his Dragon Knight armor. 

T-Ranma activated his Phase I Exo-Armor and then switched on his ship's transporter. 

At the battle scene, the Senshi were having a tough time of it. The smaller versions of these Soul Destroyers had almost wiped them out. Now these monsters were not even feeling their strongest attacks. 

"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!" 

"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!" 

"SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" 

"SUBMARINE REFLECTION!" 

"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!" 

"MARS FLAME SNIPER!" 

"WAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" Sailor Moon cried out as her friends' attacks were either absorbed or reflected back. The monsters weren't even paying any attention to the tiny gnats below them as they continued on their mindless rampage. 

It was then that five beams of energy appeared and deposited the Justice Five on the scene. 

"Look out!" Saber Claw shouted as he sped forward and swept up Sailor Venus before she was crushed underneath Hard Rock's size 342 foot. 

Sailor Venus felt a warmth as she found herself in the sinewy arms of her hero. She liked the faint, musky scent of him and was about to ask him if he had a girlfriend when the cat man suddenly tossed her up and shifted to his tiger form. Sailor Venus landed on his back and hung on for dear life. The saber-toothed cat deftly dodged huge boulders that were being hurled his way. When he had gotten to a relatively safe distance, he urged Venus to dismount before morphing back to his hybrid form. 

Sailor Mars braced for impact when her fire arrow was reflected back at her, but then heard a shout behind her. 

"SPRIRT SEEKER!" 

The fire arrow was intercepted by a blue comet and caused it to dissipate. She turned around and saw Perceptor giving her a salute. 

Sailor Jupiter was in shock (as was her rescuer), as Techno 1 had swooped in and landed in front of her, taking the full force of the blast of electricity that Thunderclap released. The nanotech warrior grunted as the voltage he received was enough to light up five major cities. He shrugged off the blast and called to his comrades. 

"These monsters are about TEN TIMES stronger than before!" 

"Does that mean?" P-Ranma asked as she and her Pokémon pulled an injured Sailor Uranus and Saturn to safety. Sailor Saturn had been identified as the most potential threat of the Senshi and the creators of the Soul Destroyers had programmed their monsters to take her out first. 

"You got it! I don't dare use my Annihilator this close to the city! We'd better get ten times stronger too! Get ready to use the ULTRA ARMOR!" 

"Ultra armor?" The other Senshi said as they were being pulled to safety. 

T-Ranma winced as he wished he could have thought of a better name, but there was no help for it now. "Follow my lead!" He raised an arm and shouted out. _Man! This will sound corny!_ Uh... ULTRA ARMOR ENERGIZE!" 

Back at the ship, the computer recognized the signals that it was getting and activated the four subspace recall devices on the other Ranmas. Meanwhile, T-Ranma's programmed transformational sequence was activated. (Remember that he had to make it look flashy). 

"TECHNO 1... ARMOR ENERGIZE TO..." 

A pillar of light surrounded T-Ranma as he slowly rotated in midair. The Phase I Exo-Armor disengaged and disappeared, leaving him in his cyberweave body suit. Then the components of his Phase II Exo-Armor appeared. A more robust chest plate appeared, along with shoulder epaulets with built-in blasters. A backpack with thrusters and winglike projections attached to his back. His legs and lower torso were outfitted with hip thrusters and new shin guards. More heavily armed gauntlets appeared and slid onto his arms. As soon as the new armor was in place, T-Ranma made a ready stance and fired off several rounds in a holographic background of space. 

"... TECHNO 2!" 

"Techno 2?!" Sailor Jupiter said in disbelief? She couldn't believe how much cooler he looked. He looked way cooler than her old sempai! 

Kojiro smiled as he raised his arm, which had the subspace recall device on it. "ULTRA ARMOR ENERGIZE!" 

The pillar of light then surrounded him the Neko Ken fighter as he too was levitated. 

"SABER CLAW... ARMOR ENERGIZE TO..." 

Armor components appeared and began to fit themselves to him. Newer epaulets replaced the ones he was wearing as a metallic harness crisscrossed his chest. A pair of specialized gauntlets with metallic claws fitted on his forearms. As Kojiro slashed about with his new weapons, he could feel the increased ki being focused into his hands as well as the clawed gauntlets. He made a crouching stance in front of a black background with a silhouette of the saber-tooth tiger in white behind him. 

"...SABER WAR CLAW!" 

Sailor Venus was about to faint at the animal magnetism he now projected. Then it was Draco's turn... 

"ULTRA ARMOR ENERGIZE!" 

Combining magic with science was a tricky business, but T-Ranma had used D-Ranma's similar ki energy as a base. Draco was outfitted with scarlet armor that looked lizardlike. His Crimson Fang was now housed in a wicked-looking scabbard with scales that resembled that of a dragon's. 

"DRAGON KNIGHT... ARMOR ENERGIZE TO..." 

A section of the new armor opened up in the back, and D-Ranma decided to add to the look by making his dragon wings appear. He flapped them once then spread them out like a majestic eagle's. He found himself posing in front a background of flames. 

"...MAGNA-DRAGON KNIGHT!" 

Sailor Mercury had tried to use her visor to analyze the transformation, but there was just too much power for her to get anything but static. 

Sailor Mars stared in amazement as Perceptor held out his arm. 

"ULTRA ARMOR ENERGIZE!" 

Perceptor's body became a black silhouette as armor component's appeared and latched onto him. Unlike the others, the blind Ranma's new armor was slimmer and seemed to be less massive. B-Ranma became euphoric as he discovered that the new armor enhanced his senses to an extraordinary level. It felt as if he had linked up to the sensors in T-Ranma's ship again. A kind of half-helmet (think of Robocop), fitted itself over his head. 

"PERCEPTOR... ARMOR ENERGIZE TO..." 

B-Ranma's battle staff was also modified. It suddenly shortened to a one-foot length and then two shafts of light burst forth from the ends. B-Ranma now had a double-edged beam saber! 

"...MINDSWEEPER!" 

Sailor Moon looked up at the Silver Senshi and asked in a trembling voice. "I don't suppose you can...?" 

The Silver Senshi shrugged as she recalled her Pokémon and called out her transformation phrase. 

"ULTRA ARMOR ENEGIZE!" 

Now the Sailor Senshi watched in awe as P-Ranma underwent her transformation, which put all of theirs to shame. 

The Silver Senshi was enveloped in a bright nimbus of light, as her female form became a multicolored silhouette. She pirouetted as her Sailor Senshi costume was stripped away to be replaced by a metallic breastplate, and a slightly longer skirt with a more metallic sheen. Her boots were wrapped in gold trim and her shoulders received stylish epaulets. Her gloves became armored sleeves and a winged headdress replaced her tiara/visor. Her belt of Pokéballs became galvanized and took on a glaring shine. 

"SILVER SENSHI... ARMOR ENERGIZE TO..." 

The most amazing part of the transformation was that a stylish harness appeared and seemed to meld into the upper portion of her armor. Angelic wings then appeared on her back and spread themselves out. Though it was actually a fancy anti-gravity pack with pseudo-organic wings for ornamentation, they still gave Ranko the appearance of some Greek Goddess or angel. A streak of light appeared on her chest and drew a star insignia on her left breast. She then posed in a background of blue-black with white light emanating from behind. 

"... SAILOR SILVER STAR!" 

"SAILOR SILVER STAR?!" The Senshi gasped. 

At the Time Gates... 

"SAILOR SILVER STAR?!" Pluto gasped. 

The two hooded figures were rolling on the floor. 

To be continued? You betcha! 

Author's notes

I blame this part of chapter six after watching a Digimon Marathon! In any case, part three shall be the conclusion to this romp through the Sailor Moon universe. I can imagine that a lot of my readers are complaining about their ribs hurting after laughing too hard. Well I'm glad that they're enjoying this story as much as I am as I continue to write. Thanks for your support! 


	10. Chapter 6 (part 3)

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: What?! You're still expecting a disclaimer after all of this? 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury (AKA Saber Claw, Saber War Claw)  
B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind (AKA Perceptor, Mindsweeper)  
T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech (AKA Prototype, Techno 1, Techno 2)  
D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child (AKA Draco, Dragon Knight, Magna-Dragon Knight)  
P-Ranma: Ranma from Fist of the Pikachu (AKA Trainer, Ranko, Silver Senshi, Sailor Silver Star) 

: Thoughts  
(* *): Computer responses 

**Chapter 6 **

Part 3 

Showdown! 

"SAILOR SILVER STAR?!" The Inner and Outer Senshi gasped as they saw P-Ranma take off and charged at the gigantic Thunderclap. 

The Pokémon Trainer was feeling a sky-high rush as she darted through the air. The anti-gravity wings were cybernetically linked to the headdress she had on, which responded accordingly to her thoughts, making flying a snap. She streaked across the sky at well over 300 mph, making tight turns and evasive maneuvers, easily dodging the blasts of electricity being hurled at her. After riding on Wildfire, P-Ranma was quite used at moving at high-velocities. She then held out her arms and let loose with an electric attack. 

"Er. SILVER STAR LIGHTNING STRIKE!" 

The electrical bolt that shot from her hands was enormous! With the armor boosting her ki by a factor of ten, her normal Shock Attack took on a new meaning of the phrase of electrifying! The air crackled around her as she let loose with more than 200,000 volts! This knocked Thunderclap back as Sailor Silver Star shot up like a rocket, then dived down toward her opponent with an extended fist. 

"Pikachu!" 

It was at that moment that Raiden suddenly appeared from his Pokéball and rode on her back between the wings. The electric rodent began to power up, adding his increased electrical power to hers. P-Ranma smiled as she realized that Prototype's enhancements must have also modified her Pokéballs. The Pokémon within were now boosted along with herself. 

_Prototype went all out for us._ She smirked as an envelope of crackling power surrounded her winged form. She then put on a final burst of speed as she hurtled toward Thunderclap. 

"HEAVEN'S THUNDER!" 

**_KABOOOOOOOOM!_**

Sailor Silver Star slammed through Thunderclap's chest and out through its back. The electric monster's inner energies were totally disrupted from the attack and could no longer hold together. The Soul Destroyer let off an anguished scream and then fell forward, exploding into a ball of sparks before dissipating. 

Sailor Silver Star landed lightly as Raiden settled on her right shoulder. "Good work, Raiden." 

"Pikachu!" 

Sailor Moon's jaw dropped to the ground as she stared at the gleaming armored Sailor Senshi. "Wow! Now why can't we get any stuff like that?" 

"METAL RIP CLAW!" 

Saber War Claw made a ferocious slash across Hard Rock's face after leaping high. He was more than ten meters away from Hard Rock, but the energy emitted from his new gauntlets lashed out like a blade and sliced into the rocky face of the Soul Destroyer. Large chunks of granite were chopped off, forcing the massive creation backward. 

"RISING SLASH KICK!" 

Landing on the ground, the Cat Fist fighter then did an inverted handspring and went shooting up, feet first. His feet glowed with increased ki power and cut into Hard Rock's chest, leaving a huge gash in it. Flipping in the air, the Neko Ken martial artist landed a few meters away from his flailing opponent and focused his ki while crossing his arms. He then delivered an amplified version of his Crescent Slash technique to finish it off. 

"CROSS-CLAW CUTTER!" 

Two huge, crescent-shaped blasts of ki were launched at Hard rock. The twin attacks slashed the monster diagonally; forming a huge X. The Soul Destroyer was reduced into a pile of rubble as it fell apart. 

Sailor Venus looked at the triumphant Kojiro hungrily. "Rowr, rowr." 

"DRAGON'S BREATH!" 

Draco had discovered that his normal Dragon Fire technique was now the equivalent to that of the Great Fire Dragon King of the South's. Unfortunately for the Water Wizard, its opponent was far too hot for it to handle. Despite the fish monster's attempts to extinguish his flames with huge geysers of water, Magna-Dragon Knight would simply evaporate them as soon as they splashed on him. Using ice attacks against him was also useless. The heat he generated from his battle aura alone would melt anything that got close to him. 

"TIME TO FRY!" Taking a cue from Sailor Silver Star, he shot up toward the sky, then made a power-dive toward his opponent. He became enveloped into flames and resembled a fiery comet. 

"METEOR DIVE!" 

Water Wizard sent up a huge column of water, but that did not stop Magna-Dragon Knight as he blasted through it and plowed hard into the Soul Destroyer. The fish monster exploded into a shower of cinders and the area where it stood went up in a large fireball. Amazingly, the flames quickly disappeared before they could spread and Magna-Dragon Knight rose from the ashen remains of his opponent like a phoenix. 

"Impossible!" Sailor Mercury said. _He should have been incinerated from being in that conflagration._ Her visor was now having a fit, as it was unable to gauge the dragon warrior's power levels or anything else about him. 

"ICE CANNON!" 

Fire Storm let off a scream of horror as it was hit by a beam of unimaginable cold. Techno 2 had blasted away at it with a mind-boggling array of weaponry and now made a three-meter long cannon appear on one shoulder. The weapon was a Dramellion Freeze Cannon that he had picked up in the Alpha Centauri quadrant. The Soul Destroyer's fire was snuffed out in an instant as T-Ranma continued to pour it on. Soon the ice block that encased the beast began to crack, as the monster within became brittle. In one minute, Fire Storm broke apart into a billion pieces as its body shattered like cheap glass. 

"Where can I GET one of those?" Sailor Jupiter was NOT referring to the weapon. 

Meanwhile, Mindsweeper was mixing it up with the Shadow Stalker again. In addition to his augmented senses, B-Ranma had made another interesting discovery. His seventh sense was no longer just the passive radar sense. The ki he used to 'feel' his way around had the capability to become more solid! In other words, B-Ranma could now use his seventh sense as a weapon! 

"MIND WAVE!" 

His aura suddenly flared as the so-called Unseen Light became visible and lashed out, much like Sea Storm's Psychic Tsunami. The light drove the shadow demon back. B-Ranma then launched a huge ball of ki. 

"SEEKER STORM!" 

The sphere exploded into a dozen smaller comets that buzzed around the monster, keeping it occupied as the blind fighter used his senses to locate Shadow Stalker's weak point. The Unseen Light fighter snorted as he discovered that it still had the same control nucleus as before. He aimed his new double-edged lightsaber at it and focused his ki into it. The energy blades became even brighter as he hurled it toward his target. 

Shadow Stalker reared back and roared as the weapon stabbed into its being and pierced its nucleus. The homing ki blasts also struck its weak point, ensuring its demise. The dark monster faded away into nothingness as B-Ranma deftly caught his falling weapon. 

"Awesome!" Sailor Mars said, as she beheld the blind warrior standing triumphantly. He looked so heroic! 

"Good work team!" Techno 2 said as he joined the others with the Sailor Senshi. 

"Man! That Ultra Armor is so COOL!" Jupiter said. 

P-Ranma nodded as he turned to his comrades. "Yes, well you guys better power down and save your strength. I have a feeling that we're going to need all the power we can get. This was just a skirmish." 

"THAT was a skirmish?" Sailor Moon said incredulously. 

The technowarrior nodded as he mentally commanded his Phase II Exo-Armor to disappear and his Phase I Exo-Armor to reappear. "Yes. Didn't you notice something strange?" 

"What do you mean?" Sailor Mercury asked as she and the rest of the Senshi gathered around the Justice Five. 

"Didn't you notice that those Soul Hunters were not trying to drain the life energies of anyone?" 

"Hey, yeah! They were just on the rampage." Kojiro said as he deactivated his Ultra Armor and shifted back to being Saber Claw. Unlike Prototype, he and the other Ranmas did not have nanites to help deal with the sudden output of power they had experienced with their transformations. They had all begun to feel the strain as their bodies had been pushed to the limits, despite the fact that the battle only lasted a couple of minutes. They would need some time to recover. 

"Now that you mention it, I am curious as to why they appeared here, instead of a densely populated area." Magna-Dragon Knight became Dragon Knight again. His dragon physiology had allowed him to endure the power boost better, and he wasn't as winded as his comrades. 

Sailor Silver Star nodded as she powered down to being the Silver Senshi again. "You don't suppose that this was all just a diversion, do you? That maybe something big is going to happen?" 

"I'd say that that it's a good bet. We didn't even see those three people that usually accompany those Soul Hunters." T-Ranma said. 

"Then we'll have to find out. ooohh!" B-Ranma trembled a bit as he powered down. Sailor Mars moved forward with her arms held out to catch him as he began to fall forward. However, B-Ranma held out his hand and righted himself before she could get too close. "I'm all right. Thank you." 

"Are you sure you're all right, Perceptor?" T-Ranma asked, though he suspected something was amiss. 

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." The blind fighter reassured as he took a deep breath, then stood up straight. 

Prototype frowned but said nothing. _Hmmm, I was afraid of this. Our blind friend happens to be the frailest of all of us. He relies heavily on his ki and the sudden power boost may have been too much for him. Trainer was able to share the strain with his Pokémon. Kojiro is part tiger and Draco is part dragon, so they were able to handle it. We may have to take him out of this mission._

B-Ranma sensed the doubt within his comrade and said, "Don't you dare think about leaving me out of this! I can handle it! Besides, we all agreed to see this through and I CAN hold my own. Remember back on Lina Inverse's world?" 

T-Ranma remembered indeed. If it weren't for B-Ranma's Spirit Beam, that world would have perished. The technological Ranma reluctantly nodded and said, "All right. You're coming with us. Just one thing." He turned to face his other counterparts. "The Ultra Armor put a really bad strain on all of you, so I'd suggest that you save it for when you really need it. I hope that we won't need to use the Mega Armor." 

"MEGA ARMOR?!" The Sailor Senshi couldn't believe that there was something that could make the Justice Five even stronger. 

_Where do I sign up for this team?_ Sailor Jupiter thought. 

T-Ranma sighed. _Now why did I open my mouth?_

Some time later. 

The Sailor Senshi and the Justice Five had agreed to join forces and were now split into several groups to go search for their hidden enemy. T-Ranma's scanners and B-Ranma's senses had detected huge energy trails that emanated near Mt Fuji. Since they were similar to what the Soul Destroyers had emitted, they decided to concentrate their search in that area. P-Ranma had decided to lend her Pokémon to aid in the search. Sailor Mars and B-Ranma were riding around on Wildfire. The blind fighter became a bit edgy as the Senshi of Fire clasped her arms around his waist and held him tightly. The hidden emotions that he sensed from her didn't make him feel all that comfortable. 

Sailors Mars on the other hand loved the feel of his muscular frame, and let off a quiet sigh. 

In another area, Sailor Venus giggled as she rode a huge saber-tooth tiger. She loved to run her hands through that shiny black coat.and couldn't help herself as she frequently scratched behind Kojiro's ears. The Neko Ken fighter had to fight against his playful urges as a feline. Minako was scratching at just the right place where his Ucchan loved to rub. 

High above, Sailor Mercury and Draco zipped across the skies. The dragon warrior didn't mind the company but he was a bit confused as the blue-haired Senshi kept on asking if she could perform a few examinations on him. As for Prototype, who was paired up with Sailor Jupiter, it was more along the lines of. 

"So do you have a girlfriend?" 

"Uh, no?" 

"Are you looking for one?" 

"Uh.?" 

"Say what's your favorite color? Do you like green?" Sailor Jupiter asked shyly. 

"Well, I." 

"What's your idea of the perfect girlfriend?" 

_Oh boy!_

Meanwhile on the ground near the foot of the Mt. Fuji, Sailor Moon, Neptune, Uranus, Chiba-Moon, Saturn and the Silver Senshi were exploring some caves. Wind Rider flew overhead, as Razor and Raiden were busy sniffing things out on the ground. 

"Wow! These elemental allies of yours are so COOL!" Chiba-Moon exclaimed as she swept up Raiden and gave him a hug. "You're SOOO cute!" 

"Put it down." Sailor Moon said as she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. 

"Pika." Raiden's natural reflex to being suddenly picked up by a stranger was to.... 

"I wouldn't do that." The Silver Senshi began. 

"Chu!" 

ZZZAPPP! 

"Owie." Sailor Moon groaned. 

"Real. cute." Sailor Chiba-Moon whimpered. 

Sailor Chiba-Moon was sprawled on the floor with her mother. Their eyes were glazed. Their hair was frazzled and they were a little on the crispy side. Fortunately, Raiden had only given them a minor shock; only a mere 1,000 volts. 

Sailor Uranus and the other Senshi had sweatdrops on the backs of their heads as they stared at the still smoking Sailor Moon and Chiba-Moon. Sailor Saturn stepped forward to administer her healing powers. 

"Slash!" 

The Silver Senshi turned to where her Sandslash was indicating. 

"What is it, Razor?" 

The mouse pointed to a solid rock wall and then extended one of its claws. Ranko noticed that the claw disappeared into the wall. 

_Ah hah! I get it! Some kind of illusion to hide the entrance to the bad guy's headquarters._

It was at that time that Wildfire came galloping toward the entrance of the cave. B-Ranma had also followed the energy trail. Soon the rest of the search parties came to scene as P-Ranma used her ki to dispel the illusion. 

Deep below the ground under Mt. Fuji, Blodia's power build-up continued as his three minions watched in awe. It wouldn't be long before their master would have enough power to destroy the planet's core. The headquarters was hidden within a maze of caverns and there was a shaft that lead directly to the molten core of the Earth. Once Blodia had built up enough energy, he would send a blast down the shaft and start a chain reaction that would cause the surface of the planet to split apart. The resulting detonation would implode the planet and release all the life forces all at once! 

It was then that the alarms went off and Necton used a viewing portal to see who the intruders were. 

"Master! The Justice Five and the Sailor Senshi have found the entrance to our base!" 

"Impossible! They defeated the Soul Destroyers?" Haldin gasped. 

"WHAT?! I'M NOT READY YET! GO AND DELAY THEM! AT ALL COSTS!" Blodia commanded as he speeded up the process to destroy the Earth. 

At the Time Gates. 

"They'd better hurry." The first cloaked figure said. 

"I wish we could help them." The second figure said. 

"You know we can't do anything more but guide them to their final destination." 

"I know." 

Back on Earth, B-Ranma sensed a massive surge of power as he and the others traveled deeper into the cavernous regions of Blodia's lair. Then he sensed someone else coming their way. 

"Guys! We've got company!" 

On cue, the three servants of Blodia appeared before them. 

"So, you had defeated our Soul Destroyers. Very impressive!" Necton said. 

"However, you are too late!" Haldin sneered. "Our great Master Blodia is just minutes away from destroying this pathetic world!" 

"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped as T-Ranma began scanning with his eyes. A few thousand meters below their position, the nanotech soldier detected a being of immense power and then scanned a shaft that led directly to the Earth's core, thousands of miles below. 

"My god! He's going to destroy the Earth's core!" 

Already the caverns began to tremble as Blodia's power climbed even further. 

"Correct, Techno 1!" Parat scoffed. "Lord Blodia had grown tired of these delays and decided to unleash this planet's life forces all at once. Can imagine the feast that awaits our master when this word's vast life essences are released with the destruction of this mudball? An added bonus is that he shall be rid of both the Sailor Senshi and the Justice Five, all in one fell swoop!" 

"There is nothing that you can do to stop him!" Necton declared as he and his cohorts powered up. 

"We'll see about that!" Sailor Moon said as she and the other Senshi began tense up for the battle. 

"HA!" Haldin sneered. "You were just barely able to survive against our Soul Hunters! If it weren't for the Silver Senshi and the Justice Five, you would have been nothing but a memory! We are FAR MORE powerful than even the Soul Destroyers! Just what makes you think that you can hope to get past us?" 

"We are the champions of love and justice! We are the defenders of this world and enemy to all that is evil! We are the SAILOR SENSHI!" Sailor Moon said as she bolstered up her courage. "I am SAILOR MOON!" 

The other Senshi also joined in. 

"I AM SAILOR MARS!" 

"I AM SAILOR MERCURY!" 

"I AM SAILOR VENUS!" 

"I AM SAILOR JUPITER!" 

"I AM SAILOR CHIBA-MOON!" 

"I AM SAILOR SATURN!" 

"I AM SAILOR URANUS!" 

"I AM SAILOR NEPTUNE!" 

Sailor Moon then said, "And in the name of the Moon.." 

"WE WILL PUNISH YOU!" They all said together. 

Haldin and her comrades groaned. "Another good thing about destroying this world is that we won't have to hear those stupid speeches. It feels as if we're in a cartoon!" 

Sailor Moon turned to the Justice Five. "Go! Stop Blodia! We'll handle these creeps! We've got a score to settle with them!" 

"But." Silver Senshi began. She knew they hadn't a chance against these three. 

Sailor Moon shook her head and said, "From what we've seen, you may be the only Senshi that has the power to save us all! You and the Justice Five can end this!" 

Ranko bit down as she heard these words. She wasn't a Senshi. She was a fake, a copy, nothing but an imitation. "Sailor Moon, I'm afraid that you're wrong. I'm not a Senshi." 

Sailor Moon smiled and said, "I had a feeling that you didn't come from the Silver Millennium like we did. But you fought for truth and justice. You fought with the heart and spirit of a Senshi. As far as I'm concerned, you ARE A SAILOR SENSHI! NOW GO!" 

Sailor Moon's speech was corny, but she did feel warmth in her heart at her acceptance. 

At the Time Gate. 

"Well, I have to admit, Usagi may not be as scatterbrained as people believe." 

"At least she's got an open mind. Not like some OTHER people." The second person glared at Setsuna who was still in her crystal prison. 

Down on Earth, P-Ranma turned to her counterparts, who all nodded and headed down to where Blodia was. Before joining them, the Silver Senshi removed her belt of Pokéballs and said in a dramatic voice, "Let my Elemental Allies be your protectors, Sailor Senshi! RAIDEN, WILDFIRE, SEA STORM, RAZOR, BRUISER, WIND RIDER! THE SAILOR SENSHI CHOOSE YOU!" 

The Pokémon burst out of their Pokéballs and took positions near the Sailor Senshi. P-Ranma nodded to them as she turned around to aid her comrades against Blodia. 

Raiden powered up his electric sacs as he stood beside Usagi. The other Pokémon also began powering up as the three Servants of Blodia unleashed their attack. 

Down where Blodia was about to unleash his power to destroy the Earth's core, the dark being saw some people rushing into his chambers. He roared as he saw who it was, the Justice Five. 

"HOLY.!" Kojiro gasped as he and the others saw Blodia. 

The monster that had caused all of the misery and suffering to this world was a writhing mass of tentacles with one huge eye at its center. He was enormous and seemed to be a pulsating, purple blob the size of a football arena. Blodia was an ancient being, older than when the solar system had formed and Earth was just a molten ball. Now it's one great eye glared at the gnats that had thwarted his plans at every turn. 

"NO! I WILL NOT BE STOPPED NOW!" 

He let off a blood-curdling howl as several Soul Hunters and Gatherers that he had been keeping in reserve emerged from various passageways and attacked the Justice Five. 

T-Ranma took one scan of the attackers and Blodia and knew that they needed the heavy artillery. 

"ULTRA ARMOR ENERGIZE!" 

The four other Ranmas followed suit and soon became Mindsweeper, Saber War Claw, and Magna-Dragon Knight. They followed Techno 2 as they clashed with Blodia's defenders. 

Back at the other end, the Sailor Senshi were giving their all to defeat the three servants. With the help of P-Ranma's Pokémon, they were holding their own against them. 

Sailor Uranus fell down after being hit by a blast from Haldin. She was dazed from the attack and was unable to move out of the way as Haldin followed up with another lethal bolt. Luckily, Sea Storm rushed up to get in between them and erected a psychic shield. 

"Golduck!" 

Parat was getting frustrated as he tried to obliterate Sailor Mars and Mercury. Unfortunately, every time he aimed at them, his shots would be intercepted or deflected by ki blasts from Bruiser and Wind Rider. He was then slammed backward as the Pidgeotto let loose with his Wind Cannon. 

Necton smirked as he stood over a downed Sailor Jupiter and was about to deliver the killing blow. That was when something landed on his back. 

"Pika. CHUUUUUU!!!!!!" 

Raiden's Thundershock was quite powerful as compared to other Pikachu or Raichu. At point-blank range, it was. SHOCKING! 

Back at Blodia's lair, the Justice Five in their Ultra Armor was just polishing off the last of their opponents, when they saw Blodia begin to glow with a strange light. T-Ranma knew that the monster was near to releasing all that energy to destroy the Earth's core. Drastic steps would have to be made. He couldn't risk using his super anti-matter cannon, so. 

"Guys! Switch to the Mega Armor!" 

Back to where the Sailor Senshi were battling the three servants, Necton screamed as his battered and burned body fell to land beside the unconscious forms of his comrades. Nearby, a bruised and battered group of Sailor Senshi stood triumphantly with P-Ranma's Pokémon. 

"T-T-Thank you." Sailor Moon gasped as she petted the tired and exhausted Pikachu. She then nodded to the other Pokémon. "Thank you all. We couldn't have beaten them without you." 

"Machop!" 

"Pidgooo!" 

"Slash!" 

"Golduck!" 

"Neigh!" 

"Pika." 

The Sailor Senshi and Pokémon then rushed down the cavernous tunnel that led to Blodia. As they entered the lair, they saw the Justice Five initiate their Mega-transformations. All five raised their arms and said. 

"MEGA-ARMOR ENERGIZE!" 

Five beams of light came down, each surrounding a member and replacing their ultra armor with new suits. 

With T-Ranma, his Phase II Exo-Armor was replaced with the Phase III version. 

"TECHNO 2. ARMOR ENERGIZE TO." 

A far more robust armored suit replaced the previous one. Large, dual-barreled proton cannons appeared on each shoulder. Below them on separate mounts were multiple micro-missile launchers. A beam cannon projector appeared on the breastplate. The gauntlets now sported heavy, triple barreled particle guns and built-in beam sabers. The backpack section had larger wings and extra launchers. The boots were replaced with turbo-kick boots for that extra impact. He stood ready in front of a picture of an exploding nova. 

". TECHNO 3!" 

For Kojiro. 

"SABER WAR CLAW.ARMOR ENERGIZE TO." 

His clawed gauntlets became thicker and sharper. The guard pads then molded themselves to his shoulder epaulets. Kojiro decided that in order for him to fully utilize his Cat Powers, he would have to go to full tiger mode. He did so and the armor adjusted to fit over his head and back. A missile rack appeared on each of his flanks and his legs became encased in leg armor. He struck a pose in front of a black background with red slash marks. He found out that a special synthesizer allowed him to speak in feline mode. 

". MECHA WAR CAT!" 

For Draco. 

"MAGNA-DRAGON KNIGHT. ARMOR ENERGIZE TO." 

The crimson armor was stripped away to be replaced with black armor that was bulkier, yet still allowed him to move about with ease. His wings were also outfitted with metallic frames. His hands became encased in fancy, dragonhead gauntlets. (Think of the Sheng Long from Gundam Wing). He let off gouts of fire from one gauntlet as he stood with his Crimson Fang at the ready. 

".DRAGON KNIGHT PRIME!" 

For B-Ranma. 

"MINDSWEEPER. ARMOR ENERGIZE TO." 

The blind man was encased in dark blue armor; very similar to his Ultra Armor, but he now sported a helmet that covered his entire head. His double-edged beam saber became a variation poleaxe on one end and a kind of naginata on the other. His back also sported spikelike projections, which were actually advanced sensory antennae. B-Ranma was astounded at how much more his range had increased. His senses were now so finely tuned, that he could actually read fine print from a distance of five miles! His sixth and seventh senses were now comparable to the abilities of very powerful psychics. 

". MIND STORMER!" 

As for Ranko (I know you were waiting to see what she became). 

"SAILOR SILVER STAR. ARMOR ENERGIZE TO." 

Her wings wrapped around her body, obscuring her form from sight. A bright flash of light was glimpsed from within. Her wings then became less rounded and sharper, taking on a metallic shine (think of Archangel from X-Men). When the wings opened up, new armor units formed over her Ultra Armor. A fancy visor replaced her headdress. Her epaulets became sleeker and more detailed. Her skirt flared with brightest silver and her boots glistened with a combination of gold and silver trim. Her gloves lengthened to almost reach her shoulders. A new symbol of an exploding star appeared on her chest as she took a pose in front of her Silver Star insignia. 

". SAILOR NOVA!" 

"Sailor. Nova." Sailor Moon breathed out as she and the other Senshi watched in awe. 

The new Justice Five began assaulting the gelatinous Blodia with their increased powers. 

"DRAGON FANG!" 

"TIGER'S RAGE!" 

"WING BARRAGE!" 

"PLASMA BUSTER!" 

"PSYCHIC WAVE!" 

Blodia howled as he was blasted from all sides by the Justice Five, but refused to concede defeat. He needed just a little more time. He endured the merciless pounding that he was receiving as the concentrated every ounce of his power to the task. When his aura turned black, he began laughing and said in a final gloat, "NOW YOU DIE!" 

He then sent the blast hurtling down the shaft toward the Earth's core. 

"NO!" Techno 3 said as he called for his ship to transport him to the Earth's core. He found himself hovering just above the molten center of the Earth. In less than a couple of seconds, the Blodia's blast would come crashing down on top of him and the core. 

_This is going to be close! Computer! Annihilator! One hundred thousandths of maximum payload!_

(*Affirmative! *) 

T-Ranma had not wanted to risk using the anti-matter cannon for fear of accidentally destroying the core during the battle. Now, the super weapon was the only thing that could stop Blodia's energy from hitting the core. The technological Ranma pointed the cannon straight up and fired. 

There was a massive flare as anti-matter clashed with dark energies, but as it had done with Lina Inverse's Dragon Slave, the anti-matter ate up the energy and kept on going. The cavern where Blodia and the others were rumbled as the beam came up and shot up through the roof to explode out of the top of Mt. Fuji. Fortunately, T-Ranma had aimed the beam away from where his friends were. However, Blodia could not dodge the beam entirely and was sent up along with it! 

Apparently, Blodia did manage to erect a barrier to protect himself from the anti-matter beam and was not vaporized with the top of the mountain. However, since the cannon was not set at a higher level, the beam it produced eventually ran out. The huge monster went crashing down onto the landscape, causing seismic tremors to shake the island of Japan. 

Inside the cavern, T-Ranma reappeared next to his comrades and then commanded his ship to transport them all out of the mountain. Just as they all dematerialized, Blodia's lair came crashing down on itself. 

The group rematerialized outside near the foot of Mt. Fuji and was shocked to see that Blodia had survived and was now preparing to attack the city of Tokyo. 

"Give it another shot Techno 3!" 

"I can't." Techno 3 said. "The Annihilator will take some time to recharge. We're out of time!" 

"No, we're not." P-Ranma insisted as she spread her wings and flew down to land at the outskirts of Tokyo. 

"What's she doing?" Usagi asked as she and the others watched Sailor Nova take a stance. 

B-Ranma wondered himself as he extended his senses. "Oh I see." He chuckled a bit at the joke. 

"What's going on?" Kojiro asked. 

"Remember when Techno 3 told us that the Mega Armor increases our powers by about a hundred times? Well I do believe that Sailor Nova is about to use an attack that could match the Spirit Beam I used on that meteor." 

"You mean. an amplified Hyper Beam?!" Draco asked. 

"Pika." Raiden and the other Pokémon watched in a amazement as their trainer began to glow a bright gold. 

"You betcha!" 

It was true. Sailor Nova was taking a stance and powering up all of her remaining stores of energy. Using the Mega Armor was straining her even more than the Ultra Armor, but she knew of no other way of stopping Blodia. As the huge and disgusting blob advanced on the city, the pseudo-Senshi decided that she might as well play her role to the fullest. 

"TO PROTECT THE UNIVERSE FROM DEVASTATION!" 

A small ball of orange energy began to form between her cupped hands. 

"TO SAVE ALL INNOCENTS WITHOUT HESITATION!" 

The energy began to grow. 

"TO DEFEND THE VALUES OF TRUTH AND LOVE!" 

The sphere was now the size of a basketball. 

"BY BLASTING BLODIA TO THE STARS ABOVE!" 

The energy ball was now held above her head and was the size of a car. 

"I AM SAILOR NOVA!" 

The energy was now the size of a small house. 

"I AM THE COSMIC SAILOR-SUITED WARRIOR OF JUSTICE AND LIGHT!" 

The citizens then began fleeing in terror as they saw a huge blob coming toward them. 

"DIE BLODIA, FOR YOU HAVE LOST THE FIGHT!" 

The energy sphere crackled and elongated into a massive beam as she threw her hands forward. 

"NOVA. COSMIC. CANNON!" 

Blodia let off one final scream as the biggest Hyper Beam in history struck him. He had used up most of his energy to survive the Annihilator at 1/100,000ths of its power. Now something equivalent to B-Ranma's Spirit Beam was blasting into him. There was one massive explosion as the entity went up in a huge energy geyser. 

Some distance away, the Sailor Senshi all watched in awe as Sailor Nova collapsed to her knees. The Mega Armor then disappeared, leaving her in her guise of the Silver Senshi. Sailor Jupiter then turned to Sailor Moon. 

"Sailor Moon?" 

"Yes?" 

"When can we sign her up?" 

At the Time Gates. 

"Way to go, Sailor Nova!" 

"Not bad!" 

Even Setsuna had to admit. "Not bad at all." 

A few weeks later. 

"Do you have to leave?" Usagi asked as she and the others were standing in a filed where the Ranmas were preparing to board the ship. During the last few weeks, the Sailor Senshi and the five dimensional Ranmas had revealed themselves to each other, even though the Ranmas already knew about their secret identities. 

"Yes I mean, we could really USE a SENSHI like you!" Amy said as she addressed P-Ranma. She and the others were still a little uneasy after the Pokémon trainer had revealed himself as a guy. Though Micharu and Haruka found that aspect to be most. intriguing, they were especially interested with his girl curse. P-Ranma wanted to get out quick. 

"Sorry girls, but I'm hanging up my fuku." P-Ranma said as he warmly shook their hands. "Though I have to admit. It was kick while it lasted." 

"Are you sure that you and the others won't change you mind?" Usagi asked. "I mean, we can all work together and fight any future bad guys and." 

"I'm afraid not. We really have to get going." T-Ranma said as he approached them. "The others are saying their good-byes now. You guys should be all right now that Blodia isn't around. Oh and by the way." 

"Yes?" 

"You might want to stop with those speeches of yours. I swear that they last longer than the battles." 

Usagi laughed nervously as she had a large sweatdrop on her head. 

P-Ranma sighed as he called for his Pokémon. Rene was crying a bit as Raiden and the others rejoined their master's side. Minako sighed sadly as she received a peck on the cheek by Kojiro. She wasn't happy that he was leaving, nor did she like it when he told her that he had a fianc‚e waiting for him back home. Makoto was the same. Her heart had stopped when she saw the handsome face beneath Techno 1's helmet and she was now being denied another potential boyfriend. 

As for Rae and B-Ranma, they had found kindred spirits within each other. Both were extremely empathic. Rae was very surprised to learn that he was blind, but his quiet charm and gentle personality soon had her yearning for him. She too was going to miss him. 

As the ship began powering up its engines, the five Ranmas began talking about their adventures thus far. 

"Man! It's been a wild ride so far!" Draco said. 

"I'll say! This world has been pretty exciting! I wonder what the next world will be like?" B-Ranma asked. 

"Just so long as I don't have to wear a fuku or make long-winded speeches." P-Ranma said with a smirk. He then turned to T-Ranma. "By the way, are you sure that we can't use the Ultra or Mega Armor any more?" 

"Nope! You guys burned them out! Besides, you do remember the side effects, right? The armor made your bodies more energy efficient, but it also caused them to be hyper-metabolic. You guys burned up a lot of calories and almost that restaurant into bankruptcy! I'm just glad I had enough to pay for that meal! You all ate more than three divisions!" 

"Sorry about that, but we were SO hungry!" B-Ranma said. 

"That's okay guys. So are you ready?" 

All four nodded as T-Ranma activated the ship's drive. As the Sailor Senshi waved to them, the craft lifted off the ground and rose toward the sky. In a matter of seconds, it was gone from sight. 

At the Time Gate. 

"IT'S ABOUT TIME!" Setsuna huffed as the crystal prison was dissolved. Of course, the two figures would not return her powers until they left. 

"Oh don't get your fuku in a knot! We told you that we would free you when our business was done and here you are." The first person said. 

"Your powers will return when we leave and then you can go back to interfering with time and manipulating things so your precious Crystal Tokyo will be a reality." The second hooded person said nonchalantly. 

"HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO ME? JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" 

It was at that moment that the two decided to pull down their hoods. Setsuna's eyes widened as she saw their faces. "IT. CAN'T BE!" 

"Remember this Setsuna." The first one said as he wagged a finger at her. "If we had not sent those five to this world, then it, along with the Sailor Senshi would have been destroyed. Things wouldn't have gotten any better if we had let you intervene." 

"That's for sure." The second one said. "Therefore, we shall now let you see what would have happened if we had not stopped you." 

With a wave of the second person's hand, the time gate began showing images of the dark timeline that had been averted. Setsuna almost threw up when she saw her own, horrible demise after she had destroyed the five Ranmas. The other Senshi also perished horribly and the world was plunged into oblivion. 

The time gate then stopped showing images as the two strangers prepared to depart. "You shall find the future timelines to be exactly as you had seen it before. One more thing though. We suggest that you stop trying to push for that future that you want and actually perform your job as the Senshi of Time." 

"That means NO INTERFERENCE!" The second person stressed as he and his partner replaced their hoods. 

"People were meant to make their own decisions, Setsuna. It won't do for you to play god. You're not very good at it. Leave that job to the expert, Kami-sama." 

With those words, the two vanished, leaving Setsuna to ponder over their words. 

To be continued. 

Author's notes

Well, that concludes this dimensional hop. Sorry this part doesn't seem as hilarious as the others, but I had finally run through my silly phase and we can now move forward. In the next chapter, the five Ranmas shall meet up with. 

Teaser 

"RANMA NO BAKA!"


	11. Chapter 7

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: My disclaimer lies over the ocean... my disclaimer lies over the sea... my disclaimer lies over the ocean... oh bring back my disclaimer to me... 

Kojiro: Ranma from Cat Fist Fury (Kojiro)  
D-Ranma: Ranma from Dragon Child (Draco)  
P-Ranma: Ranma from Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer)  
T-Ranma: Ranma from Ranmatech (Prototype)  
B-Ranma: Ranma from Fighting Blind (Koga)  
Ranma: Ranma Saotome from Ranma 1/2 

: Thoughts  
(* *): Computer responses  
* *: Chinese language 

Note: This story takes place somewhere before the 30th volume or so of the manga. 

**Chapter 7 **

The Final Destination 

Universe YKF 123453... 

"Red Five? You've turned off your targeting computer. Is something wrong?" 

"No. Nothing's wrong." _It's just that I have no need for such a device._ B-Ranma wondered why he kept on hearing Obi Wan Kenobi's voice in his head. 

_Use the Force, Ranma. Let yourself go._

Behind him, Darth Vader was intrigued at how the enemy X-Wing was dodging his attempts to shoot it down. The way it bobbed back and forth. It was almost as if the pilot KNEW when and where he was going to shoot. 

_The Force is VERY strong with this one._

Unfortunately, B-Ranma had to concentrate on hitting the exhaust port, so he was forced to focus his senses forward. He winced as his sixth sense went off. He had just slipped into Vader's gunsights. 

"I have you NOW!" 

That was when a laser bolt took out his right wingman. 

"What?!" 

"YAHOO!" 

The Millennium Falcon came streaking out of nowhere and fired off another laser bolt. 

Vader's other wingman slammed into him and sent him spinning off into space. 

Han Solo shouted into his communicator. "You're all clear kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home!" 

B-Ranma nodded as his senses picked up the exhaust port and he launched his proton torpedoes. At the same moment, nearby in his cloaked ship, T-Ranma activated his teleporter and exchanged B-Ranma for an injured Luke Skywalker. The X-Wing was sent off on autopilot back to Yavin 4 with the Millennium Falcon and the surviving Rebel fighters. The cruiser then decloaked and waited. 

The Death Star went up like a supernova and the quantum fields it produced reactivated the phase drive. The cruiser then was thrown into the dimensional nexus. 

Somewhere in reality... 

"Well done! They pulled it off!" 

The second hooded figure nodded. "When that energy bolt hit R2-D2, it also knocked Luke Skywalker out. Good thing those five managed to exchange him for the one Ranma who could access the Force." 

"Well like Ben Kenobi told Luke, 'your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them.' As if the Amazon Ranma ever did." He chuckled a bit. 

"So, they've already saved several realities now. Do you think it's time?" 

"Yes... it is time." 

Universe ZXC 1212... 

"Great shot Ranma! That was one in a million!" P-Ranma said. 

"Thanks." B-Ranma said. "So what now?" 

"Well I got some good news for a change." The technological Ranma said as he sat down at the console. "The Death Star's destruction had provided us with enough power for the kerium crystal to produce not one, but TWO quantum fields!" 

"You mean, we can jump again?" Draco asked. 

"You bet! And since this universe isn't our own, we can leave immediately instead of waiting a week for the phase drive to power up again. And here's some more good news. I think we may have a way of tracking down our own universes." 

"Really?" Kojiro said excitedly. 

"Yes. Our Amazon friend's enhanced senses may be the key. I've modified the ship's sensor arrays to boost the range and sensitivity of his metaphysical senses. He'll be able to pick up the psychic trails of our spiritual essences. We might be able to backtrack all the way to the point where we were thrown into the dimensional nexus in the first place. At the very least, we'll be able to narrow down our search to universes in which other versions of ourselves exist." 

"So we'll only be going to Ranma universes?" P-Ranma asked. 

"You got it. It gets even better. Look at this." He touched a control and a monitor swung down from above. "This special viewer will allow us to see what a dimension is like without us having to enter it. I just finished it today. We can travel down the space time continuum without having to randomly interfere with those realities and accidentally upsetting them. I'd like to avoid picking up another version of us. No offense Trainer." 

"None taken." P-Ranma assured then asked, "So let me get this straight. We'll be able to jump back into the nexus and be able to see only Ranma universes?" 

"Right. And sooner or later, we're bound to come across five realities of Ranma universes without a Ranma. They'd have to be our home realities!" 

"But what about realities in which Ranma had died?" Draco asked. 

"Yeah. How are we going to know if those realities aren't ours?" Kojiro asked. 

"We avoid those with the viewer. We'll be able to look into the reality without having to enter the dimensional interface to those worlds." T-Ranma said. 

"This sounds too good to be true!" P-Ranma said. He couldn't wait to get back to that Pokémon world and earn his next badge. He had also missed the company of Sam and Jeanette. Of course, traveling with four other versions of himself had not been boring. 

"Well let's do it!" B-Ranma said as he took his place in the seat beside T-Ranma. 

Somewhere else in reality... 

"No! It's too soon for them to go home!" The first cloaked person said. 

"I know. It looks like we're going to have to steer them toward their goal again." 

"So how are we going to do it?" 

"Hmmm, let me see. How about this?" 

The second person told the first person of his plan. The first person nodded and set the plan into motion. 

Now traveling down the space time continuum, the four of the Ranmas were in awe as they watched images on the viewer as they passed by different points of the dimensional nexus. At the console, B-Ranma was wearing a helmet-like device as he guided the ship across uncounted realities. The images being displayed on the screen were also being transmitted to his helmet so he could see them in his mind. 

"Check it out. Looks like we're not the only Ranmas to do the superhero thing." Kojiro commented. 

On the screen was a brief image of a Ranma that held up his hand and said, "TRIFORCE TRANSFORMATION!" In an instant, that Ranma became the Hyrule Knight. 

The screen then changes to a Ranma in a green uniform with a strange-looking ring. 

"Who's that?" P-Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma read the report on an adjacent monitor. As they passed by each world, the computer would record the coordinates of each reality and scan it briefly for future reference. "In that reality, Ranma is the Green Lantern of Sector 2184." 

"Green Lantern?" B-Ranma asked. 

"They're kind of like the Galaxy Police and they safeguard the universe from intergalactic threats." 

"How about that one?" Kojiro pointed to another Ranma who was piloting a mecha with long blades attached to its forearms. 

"That one is a Gundam pilot." 

"And that one?" Trainer asked. 

"That one drives a Core Robot against some dictator named Ra Ra. Apparently those robots can only be piloted by females, but since he's cursed to become a girl like you, he's able to use it in either male or female form. Interesting." 

"Whoa! Check out the EGO on THAT one!" Kojiro remarked. 

T-Ranma looked at the readouts and shuddered at the power levels. "Whew! THAT one was the disciple of some demon sorcerer named Dark Schneider. I'm glad we didn't come to his universe." 

"Pikachu?" Raiden gestured to another image. 

"That Raiden, is when Ranma's bones had been fused to some kind of indestructible metal called Adamantuim. He was also given claws." 

"Man! I thought my claws looked wicked!" Kojiro whistled. 

"How about those two?" 

"Hmmm, whoa! And I thought the power levels on Dark Schneider's disciple were high! Those are twin Ranmas that gained near-godlike abilities." 

"Aw yuck! What about that one?" Kojiro asked. 

"It seems that this Ranma has someone named Ryoga as his adopted brother." 

Kojiro and B-Ranma moaned. They remembered their encounters with Ryoga. 

As the images continued to pass by, the five realized just how enormous their task was. Despite the fact that they were now only viewing universes where different versions of themselves existed, they had no idea just how many variations of Ranma Saotome there were in reality. After viewing several hundred separate universes, the five were about to despair in ever finding their worlds when B-Ranma cried out in triumph. 

"I FOUND THEM!" 

The four other Ranmas crowded around the viewer as the ship moved toward a section of the nexus that displayed images of five different worlds. 

"That's my home!" Kojiro exclaimed as he saw the images of Bastet, several members of the Felinar Clan and his Ucchan. 

Draco nodded as he saw A-Ko, C-Ko, B-Ko, Sojan and the four Dragon Kings. Trainer was playfully tossing his Pikachu into the air as he saw Sam and Jeanette heading toward the Fuscha Gym. B-Ranma smiled as he recognized the psychic impressions from his home at Pepper's Place and that of his Amazon relatives, Cologne, Shampoo and Jasmine. T-Ranma was satisfied at the readouts as well as seeing Nagi, Ryoko, Kiyone and Mihoshi. 

"We made it! We're home!" Kojiro shouted excitedly. 

"Confirmed!" The nanotech martial artist declared. "The energy traces here match those found when Draco, Ranma, Kojiro and myself were first pulled in. That later trace is when Trainer joined us! I had NO idea that the Pokémon world where we picked him up was so close to our own realities!" 

"So what now?" Draco asked. "I mean, how do we explain to our family and friends for being gone for so long? It's been eight months since we started!" 

"No problem! We can simply ride down the timelines of each reality and drop each Ranma off at about a few seconds after they left! It will be like you never left at all." T-Ranma said. 

"Awesome!" Kojiro remarked. "I can't wait to see Ucchan again." 

"That's good!" B-Ranma said. "I was about to lead the girls in a martial arts gymnastics meet against Kodachi." 

"I've missed my Mom and Kisara." Draco said. 

"I've got a Soul Badge to win." P-Ranma declared. 

"Pikachu!" 

"I can finally get those parts I wanted before this whole thing started." T-Ranma said while shaking his head and smiling. "Though it looks like my ship is going to need a major overhaul and get rearmed. You guys used up all my ordinance and all that dimension hopping put my engines through the wringer." 

"Who cares? The main thing is that we get to go home!" P-Ranma said. 

"You got that right. I'm now recording the coordinates for each universe. Though just remember, since we can only enter a universe, then wait a week before leaving it, I think it would be best if we headed to my universe first." 

"Why not one of ours?" P-Ranma asked. 

"Actually, it's quite simple. The parts to fully repair my quantum phase drive exist in my reality. If I can get it to become fully operational, then we won't have to wait at least a week each time for it to generate a quantum field. There's an intergalactic genius named Washu living on my Earth and I'm pretty sure that she can help repair my phase drive. I'll be able to drop each of you off in no time after that." 

"Sounds good to me." B-Ranma agreed. 

"I guess that would work." Kojiro said. 

The other two Ranmas nodded in agreement as T-Ranma nodded and began activating the quantum phase drive. 

In that pocket of reality... 

"Ready?" 

"Ready!" 

"Now!" 

Inside the ship, the five Ranmas braced themselves as their craft began to enter the nexus point where T-Ranma's universe was located. That was when a huge bolt of quantum energy knocked the cruiser off course and sent it tumbling toward another nexus point. 

Kojiro, Draco and Trainer were thrown from their seats and fell into a pile on the floor of the pilot's cabin. 

"OW! What's going on?!" The Cat Fist fighter shouted. 

T-Ranma gritted his teeth as he fought to regain control of his craft. "Damn it! We've been hit by a quantum surge! It's throwing us off course!" 

"NO! WE WERE SO CLOSE!" Trainer screamed. "GET US BACK THERE!" 

"Too late!" T-Ranma gritted as the cruiser disappeared into the nexus. 

Meanwhile, the hooded figures shook their heads as they watched the cruiser reappear into the universe they had been aiming for, and was now hurtling like a blazing meteor toward the Earth. 

"I really hated doing that." The first one said. 

"I know. But it had to be done." The second one said. "We'll take care of them after they had completed their final mission." 

"I really don't like manipulating them like this. I feel like we're no better than Sailor Pluto." 

"Yeah, well unlike her, those five will be able to fulfill their own destinies after this. It's THIS Ranma's life, in which we have to interfere with, if all of reality is to survive." 

"All right. Just because we have to do this, doesn't mean that I have to like it, Blue." The first figure lowered his hood, revealing the face of Ranma. 

The second person did likewise, also revealing the face of Ranma. Both Ranmas were identical in appearance, though both appeared to be in their late thirties. One wore a red band to hold his ponytail up while the other had a blue-colored one. 

Ranma Blue nodded as he said, "I'm not too crazy about this myself, Red. But like you said before, the kami weren't done with us after that Dark World business. Unfortunately, due to the rules of Kami-sama, we're not allowed to directly interfere. We're only allowed to choose our own champions and hope that these guys will be able to steer THIS Ranma onto the right course." 

Ranma Red nodded. "Each of these Ranmas has an aspect that our Ranma lacks. And if that Earth is to survive, then it is imperative that this one lives!" 

"Those five have their work cut out for them." Ranma Blue shook his head. "This Ranma is so much like we were when we were one person!" 

Meanwhile, in a suburb of Tokyo called Nerima... 

"RANMA NO BAKA! COME BACK HERE! I WORKED ALL DAY ON THIS AND YOU'RE GOING TO EAT IT!" 

"Ran-Chan! I made this okonomiyaki just for you!" 

"Airen! Come and eat too, too delicious Ramen!" 

Ranma Saotome, age 16 and cursed to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water, ran for his life. He knew that eating any one of the girl's cooking would be hazardous to his health. Eating Akane's cooking would have been akin to suicide, and eating the delicious foods of his other two fianc‚es would be no better, as a certain uncute tomboy would bash him anyway for not eating the toxic concoction she claimed to be sukiyaki. Ranma was pretty sure that sukiyaki was not supposed to be able to continuously change colors. He also recalled that sukiyaki was not supposed to move. 

The chase ran through the entire downtown area of Tokyo before heading back toward the Tendo home. Sitting on the back porch, Genma and Soun were playing one of their many games of shogi. Kasumi was busy hanging up the wash while Nabiki was watching television in the living room. Just as the chase was about to end up into a violent free-for-all when Ranma and the girls came near the house, everyone stopped in their tracks and looked toward the sky as they heard a loud whine. They all gasped as they saw a fiery object plummeting toward the house. The citizens of Nerima also looked up and saw what appeared to be a fiery meteor, but many paid it little mind. Ever since Ranma and his father had come to Japan, they had grown used to the craziness that had become commonplace. 

"Look out!" Ranma screamed as he dove to push the three girls out of the way from where the object was going to land, which seemed to be right in the middle of the Tendo's backyard! 

Inside the cruiser, T-Ranma struggled against high g-forces to prevent them from crashing. He then interfaced with the ship's systems. 

_Computer, activate emergency inertial dampers and braking thrusters!_

(*Affirmative. *) 

The ship began to throw off the heat of reentry as the forward braking thrusters fired. The nose of the ship began to level off. As soon as the craft became horizontal, the belly thrusters fired, slowing down the cruiser even more. Unfortunately, the cloaking field had been damaged by the quantum surge, so the ship was visible. The descent became controlled as the ship decelerated. Then, the cruiser's landing gear came out as T-Ranma guided his ship toward a suitable landing area. He saw a large, empty lot behind the Tendo dojo and set his cruiser down to it. He sighed in relief as the ship touched the ground, then shut down the engines. 

At the Tendo home, Nabiki was wide-eyed as she saw a veritable gold mine land in her lap! Aliens had just landed and she could just see the yen signs! She ran out with a camera to begin taking pictures and stake her claim on this ticket to untold wealth. At the same time, Genma, Soun and Kasumi joined Ranma and the three girls as they rushed to the empty lot. They all crowded at the edge of the landing area and stared at the gleaming craft that had just appeared in their lives. No one said a word as they gazed at it in silence. It was then that the hatch opened up and they began to hear very familiar voices. 

"Not one of your smoothest landings, Prototype!" 

"Hey, like the saying goes, any landing you can walk away from is a good one." 

"More like any landing you can survive!" 

"C'mon guys! We have to get out of here!" 

"Yeah, we might as well see where we ended up this time." 

"Pikachu." 

As the five Ranmas exited the ship, they stopped in their tracks as they beheld some familiar figures. Most have them were already acquainted with the Tendo family, Ukyo and Shampoo. However, their gaze became fixated on the pigtailed martial artist in front of them. 

(In the background, we can hear the original opening theme song of the Ranma 1/2 series) 

Some time later. 

"This is too much for even ME to swallow!" Ranma said as he and the others looked at five, nearly identical versions of himself sat across from them in the Tendo living room. Four of them were over six feet, while the one with an oversized mouse perched on his shoulder was only two inches or so taller. Their eyes all reflected the same gray-blue of his own, but they all seemed to be harder and more experienced. Their forms were far more muscular and they seemed to radiate a combined power level that made all of his most powerful opponents and rivals seem insignificant, like minor itches to be scratched. The tallest Ranma appeared to be the oldest of all of them. His face had sharply defined, chiseled features and he seemed to express a form of confidence born from long experience. He seemed to say to them 'been everywhere, done everything, ten times over.' 

The one next to him seemed to emit a kind of otherworldliness that set him on edge. When he looked into his eyes, he flinched a bit when he saw that Draco's pupils were slitted. That made him tremble a bit as he was reminded of Herb. However, this counterpart seemed to be radiating FAR more dragon power than the prince of the Musk Dynasty did. He also looked down at the katana Draco had set down in front of him and was reminded of his mother. He shivered as he remembered the stupid seppuku promise that his father had made him unknowingly sign when he was five. 

Ranma then looked at Kojiro and felt that familiar shiver he experienced whenever he was near cats. There was something so. FELINE about him. However, there was no mistaking the raw, feral power within him. The pigtailed martial artist quickly averted his gaze to the next Ranma. 

The blind Ranma emitted a form of serenity and peace that was very foreign to him. Ranma had spent most of his life in turmoil and after arriving in Nerima, his life had become so chaotic, it was a miracle that he even got out of bed every morning to face another day. Ranma had never known true peace, but this version of him seemed to radiate a sense of calm that put Kasumi's to shame. He did not have his arrogance or sense of pride, but rather a kind of understanding of things around him. It was almost as if he had the ability to look into another's soul and that nothing could be hidden from him. Ranma could also sense a kind of mastery within this version of himself. He was like Cologne. Though Ranma did not like Shampoo's great-grandmother for her scheming ways, he did come to respect her for her wisdom and training him in Amazon techniques. 

Finally, he looked at the Ranma who had a strange creature perched on his shoulder. He saw a lot of himself within him. There was that never-give-up attitude and ego that he recognized, but then he saw something else as well. There was a feeling of great accomplishment. And it wasn't just from mastering new techniques. No, it was something deeper. As he looked at Trainer, he could feel the connection he had with that mouse on his shoulder. The close bond reminded Ranma of what he had when he and Ucchan were six. That was one of the few memories of his childhood that he cherished. The feeling of close friendship, of people that would never abandon him. He could see that within Trainer. 

"So let me get this straight. You guys are me, but from different universes?" 

"That's it in a nutshell." Prototype said. "Oh, and by the way, it would be too confusing to call us all Ranma, so call me Prototype." 

"I'm Draco." The dragon warrior said. 

The Cat Fist fighter growled a bit. "NEVER call me Ranma. I go by the name of Kojiro Shinakara." 

P-Ranma shrugged. "They guys call me Trainer since I am a Pokémon Trainer." 

"Pokémon? That's just a kid's anime!" Nabiki said, though she was still staring at an honest-to-goodness Pikachu. 

"An anime?" Trainer was a bit confused. 

"Pika?" 

Nabiki grabbed the remote and turned on the television. The channel was showing an episode of Pokémon. 

"Gotta catch 'em all, gotta catch 'em all!" 

Then the Pokérap started. 

"Aritcuno, Jynx, Nidorino, Golduck, Haunter, Squirtle, Chansey." 

Nabiki turned off the television. 

Trainer had a big sweat drop. 

"Remember, the Sailor Senshi were anime in other worlds too." B-Ranma reminded as he addressed the Tendos and Saotomes. "You can call me Koga." 

"Koga?" The other Ranmas said. 

"That was the name of my master in the Unseen Light." B-Ranma explained. 

"Unseen Light?" 

"That's my main fighting style. I haven't practiced the Anything Goes very much since I was eight. I've been raised by the Joketsuzoku." 

This caught Shampoo's attention. "You raised by Amazons?" 

B-Ranma nodded as he switched to perfect Mandarin, Amazon dialect. *Even though you're not the Shampoo of my world, it's still good to see you again, cousin.* 

Shampoo was shocked to hear him speak to her in her native dialect, and was even more surprised to be referred to as 'cousin.' *Aiyah! You are. my cousin?* 

B-Ranma shrugged as he said, *I was adopted by your aunt Jasmine, so technically speaking, we're not blood-related.* 

Shampoo nodded as tried to take in the information she was given. She couldn't wait to tell her great-grandmother of this. As she looked at the Amazon Ranma, she had to admit that he was quite fine looking and more developed than her Airen. 

"While we're on the subject, it's great seeing you again too, Ucchan." Kojiro said as he smiled at the okonomiyaki chef. 

"I exist in your world, Ran-chan? I mean." 

Kojiro held up his hand and said, "Yes you do. In fact, you happen to be my kolinshor. By the way, the Ukyo in my world calls me Ko-Chan. Don't ever call me Ran-chan. Okay?" 

"All right. So what is a kolinshor?" 

"Basically, it means fianc‚e in the Felinar Clan." 

"Felinar Clan?" 

"Oh that's a race of people who practice the Ultimate Neko Ken." 

"The Neko Ken?!" Ranma gasped. He got shivers whenever he thought about that pit of cats. 

Kojiro shrugged as he realized that this Ranma must have gone through the same flawed training as he had. "Yes, well unlike the stupid training that your equally idiotic father put you through," He gave Genma a very hard glare that made the panda man cringe. The others weren't exactly happy about being in the same room as him either. "I went through the correct training methods and am now a master of the True Cat Fist." 

"He's telling you the truth." B-Ranma said. "His Cat Fist fighting style puts whatever Cat Fist you have to shame. He gives me quite a workout. Oh, and by the way, Ukyo. Would you mind if. I have a look at you?" 

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ukyo asked as B-Ranma moved up to her. 

"I. just want to see how much my old buddy Ucchan had grown, that's all." The blind fighter gently placed a hand on her face and lightly ran his fingertips over her cheeks, nose, mouth and eyes. "Wow. You really grew up to be cute, Ucchan." 

"My god!" Ukyo gasped as she and the others realized that this Ranma was sightless. 

B-Ranma nodded as he said, "Yes, I am blind. And I have my FATHER to thank for that when he threw me into that pit of cats!" His battle aura suddenly flared as he turned toward Genma. 

Ranma could feel the intensity of hatred toward Genma and felt the true power that this sightless version of him concealed within that serene surface. It was far greater than his own! 

"Ease off Koga!" Prototype said, as he did not want this situation to degrade into violence. Though he also did not care for Genma after being thrown to lions, he kept in mind that this was not any of their realities. "Remember, THIS Genma is NOT your father!" 

B-Ranma took a deep breath and nodded while powering down. He sat back down and said, "Sorry about that." 

"It's all right Koga. We don't blame you for being angry at Genma." Prototype said as he gave Genma a penetrating glare. This was joined by four other sets of eyes, which promised immense pain. Genma found himself nervous, like a condemned man who was about to face the firing squad. 

B-Ranma took another deep breath and said, "I lost my sight when I was six. Those cats were the last things that I saw. Fortunately, when I was eight, an Amazon healer named Jasmine beat the hell out of Genma and adopted me as her son. She introduced me to a blind master who taught me how to use a secret fighting Style called the Unseen Light. I'm just as capable as the others and I don't want nor need anyone's pity." 

"You know we don't consider you as weak, Koga." Kojiro said. "Anybody who can hold his own against me and blast a meteor to ashes has got my respect." 

"A meteor? What are you talking about?" Ranma asked. 

The five Ranmas looked at each other and sighed. They then began to tell the Tendos and Saotomes about their own life stories and their adventures together while hopping dimensions. 

Some time later... 

"You're part-dragon?" Ranma asked. 

Draco nodded. "On my mother's side. Like the others here, I was put through the Cat Fist training." Draco gave Genma a menacing glare that made the fat martial artist cringe a bit. "Of course, being the absolute idiot that he is, he thought that I'd learn it faster with twice as many cats and half the amount of food! If it wasn't for a dragon named Sojan, I would have bled to death." 

Kasumi looked at Ranma's father and frowned. "Now that wasn't a very nice thing to do." 

"Ah... heh, heh... er...?" Genma went looking for some cold water, hoping to go into his 'I'm just a cute panda' routine. The glare he was getting from D-Ranma looked as if he was ready to slice off his head with that katana of his. This got him to remembering that seppuku pledge to his wife. 

D-Ranma glared at the counterpart to his parent and continued. "Well, after forming a Blood Blond with me, I spent the next ten years living in the Dragon World." 

"Dragon World?" Nabiki asked. 

"Yes. They raised me and trained me in the School of the Four Dragon Kings." 

"School of the Four Dragon Kings?" Ranma became very interested in this, as he was always interested in learning new techniques. 

"A very powerful fighting style that involves a lot of ki manipulation and magical energies. Like this." D-Ranma demonstrated by levitating off the floor, still sitting in the cross-egged position. 

"Cool!" Ranma began making a mental note to ask his counterpart to teach him. Akane just simply looked at him and thought he was just showing off. 

After setting himself back onto the floor, the dragon warrior continued with his story. "After ten years, I got back to Earth and found out that not only had Genma NOT learned his lesson, but he was about to make the same mistakes with my kid sister!" 

"What?" Ranma and the others said. 

D-Ranma nodded and said, "When I found my Mom, I found out a few things. She was part-dragon too, and when Genma finally came home after losing me, Mom later had a girl, my sister Kisara. That moron Genma had been secretly training her in the Anything Goes, which included stealing from street vendors." 

Nabiki, Kasumi, Akane and all the Ranmas turned to glare at Genma, who nervously smiled and said, "Uh, well it's all part of the training of the Anything Goes, right Tendo?" He turned to Soun for support. 

Soun waited a moment then nodded. He and Genma had gone through the dread master Happosai's training. 

"You live with your Mom?" Ranma asked, feeling a little jealousy. Due to that stupid promise of Genma's, Ranma was forced to pretend to be Akane's cousin Ranko whenever Nodoka visited. 

D-Ranma nodded and said, "In any case, it was a good thing that I came back, because Genma was then trying to take Kisara on a training trip that included putting her through the Cat Fist! It was even worse when I found out that he also planned to take her to Jusenkyo!" He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist while glaring at Genma with a look that would burn through lead. He then tried an experiment on Genma. He addressed him in Mandarin. *Genma, what kind of idiot takes a little girl to a place as dangerous as Jusenkyo?* 

"Huh?" He only understood his name and the word Jusenkyo. 

"He say, what kind of idiot take little girl to very bad place like Jusenkyo." Shampoo translated as she glared at him. "Shampoo agree with dragon-Ranma." 

"I thought so." Draco turned to Ranma. "That moron can't speak or read a word of Chinese, right? And judging by your aura, he took you there, didn't he?" 

Ranma was surprised that Draco could tall that he was cursed. He snorted in disgust as he nodded. "Yeah, he took me to that place and got us both cursed. He didn't even bother to find out why it was called a CURSED training ground." 

"That's what he did to me too." P-Ranma said. 

"Pika." Raiden was becoming less and less fond of Genma; the more he listened to the others' description of him. His cheek pouches began to spark as he prepared to let fly with a Thunderbolt at the panda man. 

P-Ranma waved his hand to the Pikachu on his shoulder, motioning him to power down. The electric rodent did so, very reluctantly. It would not do for guests to electrocute their hosts, at least not at this moment. 

Sensing the tension in the air, B-Ranma decided to change the subject. "So Ranma. I see that you still stay with your father and are now living here. Tell me, have you been roped into an engagement?" 

"Yeah. How did you know?" 

B-Ranma shrugged and then asked, "So whom did you get engaged to?" 

Soun proudly puffed out his chest and replied. "Ranma shall marry my Akane, and the two shall carry on the Anything Goes." 

Akane was quick with the denial. "We are NOT engaged! There's no way I'm going to marry that sex-changing pervert!" 

"AS IF I'M INTERESTED IN MARRYING AN UNCUTE TOMBOY LIKE YOU!" Ranma retorted. 

Soun, oblivious to the insults being thrown, said in a cheerful manner. "You see, they're the perfect couple!" 

"Indeed. A match made in heaven. AS martial artist's they shall carry on the legacy of the dojo." Genma said while looking solemn. 

All five dimensional Ranmas groaned and shook their heads. 

"You've got to be kidding!" P-Ranma said. 

"Pikachu." 

"Man! What a mismatch!" Kojiro replied. "Now I'm REALLY glad that I'm engaged to Ucchan back home." 

Ukyo became very interested in hearing this. She had been stealing a few glances over the Cat Fist fighter's muscular frame and thought that the Ukyo in his world was a very lucky girl. 

"I know this isn't my business Ranma, but I must say that you made a very poor choice." T-Ranma said quietly. 

"Hey! It's not like I chose to be engaged to her! Pop and Mr. Tendo set that pledge up before I was born! They didn't give me a choice!" Ranma protested. 

"Well that explains how you became the fiancée of an ill-mannered brat." B-Ranma said nonchalantly. 

The room temperature suddenly dropped twenty degrees. "What... did... you call me?" Akane said slowly. The rage she had was just barely in check. 

"I didn't know you were hard of hearing." B-Ranma shrugged as he turned back to Ranma. "If you have to marry a Tendo, then you'd be much better off with someone like Kasumi or Nabiki." 

The two other Tendo daughters became startled at this suggestion. 

"After all, what does Akane have to offer you? She gets angry far too easily and is too immature to be considered as a future spouse. From what my senses are telling me, she's not even a decent martial artist." 

"RANMA NO BAKA!" Akane grabbed the living room table and swung it toward the blind martial artist. Unfortunately for her, B-Ranma had long sensed the attack, and struck out with the Advanced Breaking Point, causing the table to crumble into powder. In another instant, he then hit several pressure points, locking the voluntary skeletal muscles and paralyzing Akane in mid-strike. 

"Huh? What the heck was that?" Ranma was impressed. His blind counterpart had disarmed and neutralized Akane in two seconds and from a sitting position. Everyone else was also in shock. Shampoo stared at the Amazon version of her Airen. 

_Aiyah! He knows shiatsu like great-grandmother!_ She had witnessed the skill in which he delivered the strikes. He was comparable to the best healers and matriarches of her village. She also recognized the movement for the Backusai Tenketsu, but she never recalled the technique being able to crumble things. And wasn't it only supposed to work on rock? That table had been solid oak! 

"What the...?" Akane found herself unable to move as B-Ranma wagged a finger in front of her face. 

"In the words of the great elder Cologne, you are a hundred years too early to beat me! No, check that. You are a THOUSAND years too early to be even a decent workout!" 

Akane fumed at his taunt, but was unable to do anything about it. "You cheated! I wasn't ready!" 

"I don't think so." Kojiro said. "From what I saw, you were the one who attacked him. If you attacked when you weren't ready, then you're just as bad as the Akane in my world. She doesn't have much in terms of discipline and lets her anger control her." 

"I tend to agree." Draco supported. "She left herself wide open and her charge was way too predictable. She really has very little in terms of defense." 

"She acted as if she expected Koga to just sit there and let himself be hit. Didn't show any discipline to me either, and she's pretty slow." P-Ranma said. Like the others, they had assessed the brief battle and were now commenting on Akane's skills. Back on the Pokémon world, Sam and Jeanette were advancing fairly well in the martial arts and it wouldn't take long for them to surpass Akane's skills. 

"Far too easy to evade and counter. Slow recovery time and I can see that you do not think things through." T-Ranma said. "The Akane in my world also suffers the same problems. This Akane may have a little higher skill and power level than the one in my reality, but not by much." 

B-Ranma then added the final insult to injury. "I've faced off against twelve-year old novices in the village that could fight better. She's no martial artist. She's just a wannabe." 

"WHY YOU?! HOW DARE YOU?! I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S THE REAL MARTIAL ARTIST! I CHALLENGE EACH OF YOU, AND I'LL BEAT YOU ALL!" 

"I doubt it." B-Ranma said nonchalantly as he stood up. "Besides, didn't I just beat you a minute ago?" 

"Not a chance." Kojiro said simply. 

"Don't think so." Draco said. 

"Not likely." T-Ranma added. 

"I doubt you would last ten seconds with Raiden." P-Ranma gestured with his head to his Pikachu. 

"Pikachu." Raiden had gotten to dislike Akane now. She was becoming extremely hostile toward his master and his counterparts. Raiden tended not to like people who threatened his master. 

"You see?" B-Ranma said to Akane. "To us, you're not a martial artist. From what I'm reading from you, you don't come anywhere near of what a real martial artist is. I'm detecting four, maybe five years of training, and not very intensive." He turned to Prototype and the others. "What do you think?" 

"That's about right by the readings I'm getting." T-Ranma said. 

"Her power and skill levels aren't much." D-Ranma added. 

Akane's temper began to boil over. "WHY YOU... ERK!" She found herself unable to speak as B-Ranma paralyzed her vocal cords. 

"Oh do be quiet! Apparently, you do not take criticism very well either, which supports my opinion that you ARE a brat, and a spoiled one at that! Your claim to be a martial artist is nothing more than a way to draw attention to yourself! Do you truly believe that you can beat any of us, when it is obvious that we are WAY beyond anything you could ever hope to achieve? That is laugh! Your skills don't impress us in the least and even if you are a martial artist, then so what? Big deal!" He turned back to his counterparts. "Guys? Akane here claims to be a martial artist. Does that mean anything to us?" 

"No." T-Ranma said. 

"Not one bit!" Kojiro said. 

"Should it?" Draco asked. 

"Not really." P-Ranma said. 

"Pikachu." 

Koga nodded as he turned back to her. "There, you see? Being a martial artist to us is commonplace. It doesn't really impress us at all if someone claims to be a fighter. What DOES get our attention is if that person can back up his or her claim. We've all gone up against opponents that would have chewed you up and spit you out!" He gestured to P-Ranma. "Trainer here has trained with Pokémon that could make mincemeat out of excellent fighters!" He then pointed to Draco. "Draco was trained by dragons!" He then gestured to Prototype. "Prototype has traveled the galaxies and gone up against space fleets and hundreds of alien races!" 

"Thousands." T-Ranma corrected. 

"Thousands." B-Ranma amended then pointed to Kojiro. "Kojiro is a MASTER of the CAT FIST!" He gestured with his thumb to himself. "I COME FROM AN AMAZON VILLAGE THAT STARTS TRAINING THEIR WARRIORS BEFORE THEY ARE SIX YEARS OLD! By the time that they are ten, they are capable of killing adult fighters! Shampoo would certainly confirm it, right cousin?" 

Shampoo nodded. "Is true. Shampoo started training when she five year old." 

"So in short, we don't care about your claim to being a martial artist. Yes, I'm calling it a claim, because you have shown nothing to prove to us that you are." B-Ranma then took a deep breath, then turned to face his counterparts. "There, I said it. I feel better now." 

"Good." T-Ranma said as he and the others stood up. "Now that you've gotten that off your chest, we'd better go check on the ship." 

"Wait." Ranma said as he got up. "What about Akane?" 

B-Ranma shrugged. "The pressure points on her will wear off in an hour. She'll be able to move and speak by then." 

Without another word, the five Ranmas headed out to the back, leaving Akane to seethe in silence. 

_THOSE... ARROGANT... BAKAS! I'LL SHOW THEM! I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!_

An hour later... 

"Well guys, I've got some good news and some bad news." Prototype said as he exited the ship. His counterparts, the Tendos and the Saotomes were all standing outside. Ukyo and Shampoo had gone home at this time. The cloaking device was now operational, and as soon as the hatch closed, the craft disappeared from sight. 

"Hey! Where did it go?" Nabiki asked. 

"It's still there. I just engaged the stealth field." 

Nabiki looked at where the ship was and began to think about the technological goodies within. If she could get her hands on whatever super-technology was in it, she could make more money than she could spend in a thousand lifetimes. Genma was also thinking along the same lines. Surely, such a technologically advanced craft would have a few things within it that was worth a few billion yen. 

B-Ranma detected the feelings of avarice in the middle sister and shook his head. It seemed that he would have to have a long talk with this Nabiki as well. 

Prototype noticed the gleam in Nabiki's eyes and said, "Don't even think about it, Nabiki Tendo. The ship's auto-defense systems are active and they aren't too friendly with attempted break-ins." 

This curbed Nabiki's interest for the moment as Prototype gave his counterparts the good news. "The good news is that the ship's auto-repair systems are online and it will eventually be able to fly again. The navigational computer saved the coordinates to our own home universes as well, though I did memorize those coordinates before the quantum surge." 

"So what's the bad news?" B-Ranma asked, though he and the others had a feeling what it was. 

T-Ranma sighed as he said, "The quantum phase drive was overloaded during the surge and the kerium was almost totally decrystalized. I'm afraid that we're stuck here until the recrystallization is complete and the kerium builds enough of a quantum field for us to enter the dimensional nexus. It looks like we'll be staying here for at least..." Prototype paused. "...six months." 

"SIX MONTHS?!" The others gasped. 

It was then that Soun Tendo jumped at the opportunity. During the time that T-Ranma was inside his ship, Soun and Genma had been secretly making plans. The introduction of five Ranmas with unbelievable power was just too much temptation and they planned to somehow have two of them engaged to Kasumi and Nabiki, thereby triple-ensuring the future of the dojo. Of course, these two morons had not considered such factors such as the Ranmas refusing to go along with their schemes, that they won't be here permanently, or that their combined power was more than enough to defy their wishes. But then again, the disciples of Happosai were not known for their collective IQ ratings. 

"Well now, it seems that we have some new houseguests." Soun said. 

"Indeed." Genma said with a smile. 

"WHAT?! YOU CAN"T BE SERIOUS DAD!" Akane gasped. To her, one Ranma was barely tolerable, but SIX of them? "It's bad enough that we've got to put up with Ranma and his father, but we CAN'T support five more of him!" 

"Now, now Akane. They are our guests!" Soun said, brooking no argument. 

"Yes, Akane. Please don't be rude." Kasumi said. 

The five otherworldly Ranmas looked at each other with knowing glances. They had a good idea why Soun and Genma were being so generous. However, since the ship could not be moved for a while, until the structural repairs were completed, it would be best for them to stay nearby. They would also prefer not to sleep inside the ship and cherished the idea of warm beds, rather than bunking in the cramped spaces of the craft. After being together for so long, the five knew each other's thoughts and feelings. They made a collected nod of resignation as T-Ranma approached Soun. 

"DAD! We have no room! Ranma and his father are already using the guestroom! And besides, if those five eat like Ranma and his father, we'd all starve to death!" 

"Excuse me Mr. Tendo." 

The two turned to Prototype. 

"My counterparts and I do agree that we must remain near the ship as it repairs itself. We would also prefer not to spend our time cramped inside the ship. Therefore, we have decided to accept your offer." 

"Excellent!" Soun exclaimed. 

Akane was horrified. "What?! But..." 

T-Ranma held up a hand. "Do not worry Mr. Tendo. I assure you that we will not add any burden to you, your family or the Saotomes. All that I require is that you point us to an unused storage or broom closet in your house. The others can bunk with me." 

"What?" Akane said in disbelief. 

Ten minutes later... 

Ranma, Nabiki, Akane, Kasumi and the other four Ranmas were standing outside a broom closet where T-Ranma had entered and shut the door behind him. He had brought with him a few spherical devices that the other dimensional Ranmas recognized as his construction drones. They had repaired the city of Sailoon back on the Slayers World and were now crowded inside the tiny cubicle. They began hearing noises within the closet and wondered what was going on. Finally, T-Ranma emerged from the closet with a smile. 

"Okay guys. You can come on in." 

The four other Ranmas followed their technological counterpart into the storage facility and shut the door. The Tendo girls and Ranma were quite confused, as they had just seen five people and a Pikachu just crowd into an area of no more than two cubic meters. After a minute, their curiosity got the best of them and they followed them inside. 

What they saw was beyond belief. Expecting to find five Ranmas cramped inside the closet with the brooms and dustpans, they instead found themselves inside a wide-open space that looked like the lobby of the plaza hotel! There were staircases leading to lower and upper floors with spacious living quarters for each Ranma. There were three floors and the hovering construction drones were modifying the interior. The areas were impossibly larger than the interior of the closet and were lavishly decorated. It was enough to make Bill Gates envious. The five dimensional Ranmas were gathered near the center as they looked around. The Tendo girls and their Ranma walked up to them with shocked expressions. 

"What the heck is all this?! How did you do this?" Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma shrugged as he said, "It's a little trick I picked up from an intergalactic genius named Washu. I just had the drones create a subspace pocket inside the closet by warping and folding space. It's the same principle that my nanites use to store my weapons and equipment. " He turned to his counterparts and said, "Okay guys. The sleeping quarters are upstairs and to your right. You'll find a room for each of you and for Trainer, I've had the drones create a separate living area for the Pokémon. I know how much you guys would like to have your own rooms after being cramped in my ship for months." 

The others nodded as Kojiro whistled. "This is SO cool!" 

"You've outdone yourself Prototype." B-Ranma commented. 

"Where did all the furniture and fixtures come from?" Nabiki asked. She had not seen him carry anything from that cloaked ship of his, except for those robots. 

T-Ranma smiled and said, "The drones have built-in synthesizers and created the stuff from stray molecules." He addressed his counterparts once more. " The entertainment and recreational rooms are down that hall and to the left. The kitchen and dining areas are to the right. The training areas and facilities are located on the lower floors and the equipment I had made is specifically designed for each of your fighting styles and techniques. The baths, showers and jacuzzi are located between the kitchen and the entertainment rooms." 

"A jacuzzi?! You've got a jacuzzi down here?!" Nabiki exclaimed. 

Prototype gave her a whimsical smile. "Hey, after all the stuff that we have to face in our daily lives, not to mention all those worlds, I feel that we're entitled to have some time to relax, right guys?" 

"YOU BET!" The other four chorused. 

"But… what about electricity, food, gas and water? Where are you getting that from?" Kasumi asked. 

"Don't worry." T-Ranma assured. "I have a couple of fusion generators installed to provide for electricity and gas. As for water, I had water-recycling systems put in as well as a fresh water reservoir, which is stored in a different subspace pocket. As for food, the kitchens are equipped with synthesizers like the one you see on that old TV show, what was it again? Oh yeah, Star Trek. If the guys feel like eating out, I've got plenty of money anyway." 

"You do?" Nabiki's eyes glittered with this information. 

"Yep. So long as we're staying here, we might as well enjoy it. As you can see, we are totally self-sufficient, so you guys don't have to worry about us putting you into any financial burdens." 

Ranma was very envious of his other selves at the moment. He was forced to share a small guestroom with a panda, while they had living conditions equal to a royal suite. 

Akane snorted in disgust at how her world was now being turned into even more chaos with these five interlopers. 

Nabiki was scheming like mad at how to turn all this potential to her advantage, as well as how to get these five Ranmas under her thumb. 

Kasumi was wondering where she was going to store the brooms. 

Somewhere else… 

"Well they've made one big first impression." Ranma Red remarked. 

"Yes, but this is just the preliminaries." Ranma Blue replied. 

To be continued… 

In the next chapter, the five Ranmas are going to meet up with the rivals and other people of the canon Ranma's world, as well as experience what living in his world is like. Of course, they just might make a few enemies as well as give the canon Ranma some advice on just how to straighten out his life. 


	12. Chapter 8

**Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: Well I'll let you guys fill in the blanks since I am now running for my life. I'm being pursued by a very violent, uncute tomboy with a mallet that makes the ones used on City Hunter look like toys. 

: Thoughts  
(* *): Computer responses 

Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury Ranma (just don't ever call him Ranma or he'll tear out your liver) 

Koga: Fighting Blind Ranma, aka B-Ranma (don't pity him) 

Prototype: Ranmatech Ranma, aka T-Ranma (intergalactic bounty hunter and troubleshooter extraordinaire) 

Draco: Dragon Child Ranma, aka D-Ranma (he's great at barbecues) 

Trainer: Fist of the Pikachu Ranma, aka P-Ranma (gotta catch 'em all) 

Ranma: Ranma 1/2's original weenie. The guy who won't ever hit a girl, even if that girl is built like a stick, whose face makes him sick, thighs are too thick, can't even kick, dumb as a brick, talk like a hick, hair's a cowlick and itches like a tick... WHAMMMO! Ouch! I knew I should have stopped at weenie. 

**

Chapter 8 

**

And Now... 

Ranma awoke early and wondered if the previous day had all been a dream. The thought of five alternate versions of himself, now living in the broom closet, made him wonder if he had finally snapped. The routine of craziness that had haunted him, since that plunge at Jusenkyo had taken its toll on his sanity every day. Could it be that he had finally gone over the edge? 

He shrugged as he got up to brush his teeth, leaving his panda father to continue to snore like a buzzsaw. As he went to the bathroom, he paused by the closet where his five counterparts were supposed to be living in. He opened the door and was disappointed to see nothing but a few brooms, mops and dustpans. There was no subspace dimensional gate, which lead to lavish living quarters. The closet appeared as it always had. He reached inside and felt only the walls of the small storage area. He sighed and decided that he must be going crazy as he turned to the bathroom. 

"Pikachu." 

The sound made Ranma turn around in surprise. His eyes widened as he looked down and saw an oversized mouse staring back up at him. Ranma gulped as he realized that yesterday was no dream. He remembered this creature had been sitting on the shoulder of a duplicate of himself, who claimed to be a Pokémon trainer. 

Raiden looked up at a counterpart of his master and marveled at how very similar he was in appearance. He wondered if there were any more like him, like all those duplicate Officer Jennies and Nurse Joys. 

It was then that the back part of the closet flashed and P-Ranma's head appeared out of the wall. He smiled at Ranma and said, "Good morning Ranma. Have you seen Raiden anywhere? Oh there you are!" The Pokémon trainer smiled as he stepped into the closet and picked up his favorite Pokémon and sparring partner. 

"T-T-This is all real? Yesterday w-w-wasn't a dream?" Ranma stuttered. 

Trainer smiled as he stroked his Pikachu from behind the ears. "Nope. This is all real, Ranma." 

"W-W-Where did you come from?" Ranma backed off nervously. 

"Oh, from the subspace pocket that Prototype created." P-Ranma gestured with a thumb to the wall behind him. "Prototype put up a barrier at the entrance to keep people like your father or Nabiki from getting inside. That's probably the reason why you only felt the wall of the closet." He then reached behind him and startled Ranma when his hand passed through the solid-looking wood like a ghost. "He calibrated the barrier to allow only us five and my Pokémon to enter or leave the subspace pocket. If you or anyone else wish to come in, you'd need one of us to take you inside. Say, we were just getting started in our training exercises before breakfast. Would you like to join us?" 

This perked up Ranma's interest. He was dying to see what kind of fighters these versions of himself were like and what new moves he could learn. "Sure!" 

"Okay. Follow us." 

Ranma eagerly went with his counterpart into the closet and vanished. 

A moment later, Ranma found himself in the great hall again. When he had been inside the last time, the place was still under construction. Now the area was complete with elaborate lighting fixtures, ceiling fans, marbled staircases leading to the upper and lower levels, as well a few fountains with intricate pattern designs and some potted trees and ferns for color. 

Ranma continued to gaze in awe at the splendor of his counterparts' living area as he followed P-Ranma down to the lower levels where the training areas were. They came to a door, which led to an open space that was about as big as Furinkan High's football field! Inside the area were the other four Ranmas as they went through basic warm-up exercises. The floor was covered in metallic tiles. Over on the other side were six doors. The roof was about two hundred feet above the floor and special photon lamps that hung from above lighted the entire area. 

"Welcome to the general practice area." P-Ranma said as he let his Pikachu run off to join his other Pokémon that were waiting at a far corner. 

"THIS IS THE GENERAL PRACTICE AREA?!" Ranma said in disbelief. 

"Yes, well we need a lot of room to practice, especially since some of our techniques are highly destructive. Heck, you'd have to make sure you're far enough away when Draco and Prototype practice." 

Ranma was still speechless as P-Ranma gestured to the doors on the far side. "Those doors lead to our own personalized training areas and one for my Pokémon. We use this room when we want to spar against each other or maybe engage in some sports." 

"Sports?" Ranma asked. 

"That's right, Ranma." T-Ranma said as he and the other Ranmas walked up to them. "This area is modular and will format into any kind of sporting arena. Here, let me show you." T-Ranma made a hand gesture and a panel in the floor opened in front of him. A console rose up and the technological Ranma keyed in a few commands. "Let's say that you're in the mood for basketball." 

Instantly, a basketball court appeared in front of them as the floor changed color and boundary lines appeared. Two panels on either side of the court opened and a pole extended from each, unfolding a hoop and backboard. A holographic scoreboard appeared above the court. 

"Or maybe some tennis?" 

With another press of a button, the basketball court switched to become a tennis court. The lines rearranged themselves to match those used as boundary lines in the game, and then a net strung itself across the middle. 

"Hockey sounds good." 

The surface of the area then took on a shiny appearance, as the floor became nearly frictionless. A goal appeared on either side of the pseudo-rink and backboards sprouted around the playing area. 

"If track and field is more your style." 

The rink disassembled itself and an oval track appeared. A pole vault, long jump, high jump and other areas was created, complete with equipment such as javelins, hammer balls and poles for vaulting. 

"In short, this room will accommodate any kind of sporting event, either terrestrial or non-terrestrial. This chamber is also part of the entertainment facilities that are available here as well as for martial arts training." 

"Awesome!" Ranma gasped. This place was much better than the dojo. Training in here would most certainly help in raising his own skill level very quickly. He was curious as to the specialized training areas on the other side. "What about those rooms on the other side?" 

T-Ranma nodded as he pressed a few buttons and the general training area returned to its default mode, a plain empty area with a metal floor. "Those areas were designed specifically for each of us and our unique fighting styles. Although we can just use the general training area, all of us also wanted places to develop secret techniques and get some privacy when we need to be alone. I've had each chamber tailor-made to each Ranma's specifications. That door on the far left is mine. The one next to it is Draco's. The third one is Kojiro's. The fourth one is Koga's. The fifth and sixth ones are reserved for Trainer and his Pokémon." 

"You guys have it all!" Ranma whistled. 

It was at that time that Koga said, "Hey Ranma. As long as you are here, would you like to practice with us? Perhaps get in a match? I'm curious as to what kind of skills you have." 

Ranma eagerly nodded. 

Some time later... 

"Ow, ow, ow!" Ranma winced as T-Ranma tended to his injuries. The pigtailed martial artist had just gone up against Koga... and LOST! His ego had taken a very bad beating, along with his body. Although Ranma was familiar with several Amazon techniques, such as the Chestnut Fist and the Hiryu Shoten Ha, fighting with the Unseen Light martial artist was like taking on a psychic. The blind boy would anticipate his every move, almost as if he could read his mind. 

"Are you SURE he's blind?" Ranma said as T-Ranma applied a salve that would cause his bruises to fade away in seconds. 

"Yes I am." Koga replied. "Though I prefer to be called visually challenged." 

Ranma shook his head as he remembered the match. 

Flashback... 

Ranma had started out with a simple sweepkick, high-punch combo, hoping to test his opponent's reactions. However, before he knew it, B-Ranma doged the leg and jabbed out with a finger at Ranma's extended arm, causing it to temporarily lock into place. In an instant, Ranma was thrown over his opponent's shoulder and slammed to the floor. Ranma's breath was forced out as he rolled to the side. His arm regained its movement as B-Ranma backed off. 

"Not bad, but predictable." Koga said as he took a new stance. 

Ranma took a calming breath, then tried another tactic. He tried a feint with a punch to lure him toward him, then lashed out with a roundhouse. Koga did not fall for it. His sixth sense told him of the true danger from the kick and his seventh sense tracked the incoming blow. He grabbed the foot above the ankle. He then twisted toward his opponent and kicked out at Ranma's other leg, tripping him up. Ranma twisted around to try to lash out with a punch, but B-Ranma deflected the blow and then landed several jabs to the midsection. 

Ranma backed off after the last punch landed. He was a bit winded. The force of the blows was like being hit by Ryoga, but much harder! _Man! He's as fast as me... maybe faster and he punches as hard as Ryoga! Maybe harder! Okay... so let's see if he can stand up to this!_

B-Ranma's sixth sense picked up the sudden build-up of ki and recognized the way it was about to be applied. _Hmmm, I didn't know he knew THAT technique!_

"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN!" Ranma began throwing several hundred punches in rapid succession. 

"KATCHU TENSHIN AMAGURIKEN REVISED!" 

Ranma was shocked as B-Ranma began throwing his own Chestnut Fist. He had not thought that a blind person could know such a skill. Koga was not only moving with the same speed he was, but was actually blocking every one of his punches. Not one got through his defense. The two of them leapt back after completing their techniques. 

"Looks like we're pretty evenly matched." Ranma commented. 

"Nope." B-Ranma said while shaking his head. 

Ranma was about to attack again when he suddenly felt sharp pain in his hands and forearms. He winced as his arms locked up for a few seconds, then loosened. 

On the sidelines, Kojiro winced as he remembered B-Ranma doing the same to him. 

Ranma looked down in shock at his arms as several bruises formed, then back at Koga. "H-H-How did you...?" 

Koga shrugged as he said, "I was trained as a healer as well as a warrior. My knowledge of shiatsu attacks is quite extensive. While I was blocking your Chestnut Fist attack, I hit several pressure points. Count yourself fortunate that I aimed for points that induced only momentary paralysis." 

"He's right." T-Ranma said. "I can honestly tell you that Koga's ability to manipulate shiatsu points makes him quite lethal." 

Ranma gulped. It was clear to him that close-quarters combat with B-Ranma was not favorable. He had thought to try and draw him into a spiral for the Hiryu Shoten Ha, but B-Ranma was just too calm for that move to work! If Koga knew even a tenth of the pressure points that Shampoo's great-grandmother knew, then it would best to try to take him out from a distance. Ranma took a few steps back and began focusing his feelings of confidence. 

_Let's see him handle this!_

B-Ranma's sixth sense picked up the concentration of ki and noted that it was being focused in much the same way as P-Ranma's basic ki attack. It was using Ranma's feelings of confidence, the direct opposite to Ryoga's depression-fueled ki bolt. However, having already experienced the Shi Shi Hokodan in his world, B-Ranma already knew how to counter Ranma's variation. He held up his index and middle fingers of one hand and made a small ball of energy appear on their tips. 

"MOKO TAKABISHA!" A blue ball of energy went streaking toward B-Ranma. 

"KI CUTTER!" 

To Ranma's shock, B-Ranma made a sweeping wave, leaving a trail of ki energy from his fingertips. The arc cut into the incoming blast and sliced it into two. The portions of Ranma's attack dissipated into nothingness. 

"W-What the...?" Ranma had just seen his ki attack cut in half! 

B-Ranma smirked. Though it was easier to use his staff to perform the Ki Cutter, he had decided to fight this Ranma unarmed. He had long since perfected a way to perform the move with just his fingers. 

"Not bad Ranma. Now, try one of mine." B-Ranma cupped his hands back near his waist, then formed a blue ball of energy with white swirls. His senses reached out and found his target. Although Ranma's ki was similar to the others, B-Ranma could detect subtle differences in their spiritual essences and could tell them apart. "SPIRIT SEEKER!" 

The orb elongated into a screaming comet and rocketed toward Ranma. The pigtailed boy barely managed to duck out its flight path, but just as he was about to taunt his opponent for missing him, he heard a high-pitched whine and looked behind him. His eyes widened in horror as the comet made a tight U-turn and came right back at him! 

"WHOA!" 

Ranma hopped up, doing the splits as the ki bolt passed underneath. The bolt then shot upwards a few meters before diving back toward him. Ranma swerved to the side to avoid it, but that crazy missile kept on dogging him. Ranma flipped and somersaulted, just barely managing to avoid being hit, as the Spirit Seeker continued to plague him. As he landed on his back and rolled off to his right, Ranma saw B-Ranma's attack make another turn and streaked toward his back. He quickly turned around and focused his ki. 

"MOKO TAKABISHA!" 

B-Ranma smiled as he mentally guided the missile to evade Ranma's counterblast. Ranma let off a scream as the Spirit Seeker spiraled out of the way of the incoming Moko Takabisha, then blasted into him. 

KABOOOM! 

End of flashback… 

Ranma winced again. That Sprit Seeker hurt a LOT more than a normal ki blast. It had almost been as bad as being hit by a Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan. Though he was impressed at how B-Ranma had accomplished it. 

"Consider yourself lucky, Ranma." T-Ranma said as he finished healing his wounds. "Koga went easy on you." 

"THAT was going easy?!" Ranma said in disbelief. 

"Oh yeah." Kojiro said. "Remember when he paralyzed Akane for an hour yesterday? He could have just as easily done that to you instead of just paralyzing your arms temporarily." 

"Yeah, and you really don't want to be on the receiving end of his Spirit Beam." Draco added. 

"Spirit Beam?" Ranma asked. 

"That's my most powerful attack." Koga explained. "It's extremely draining for me but I could blast a mountain to rubble with it." 

Ranma was in shock. This blind person was really that powerful? 

"Well, now that Koga's had his fun, it's my turn!" Trainer said as he got up. "C'mon Ranma! Feel like going a few rounds?" 

Ranma was a bit more cautious and a little less confident. Being humbled by a blind opponent can certainly take a person down a few pegs. He slowly nodded as he faced off against Trainer. 

On the sidelines, Raiden and the other Pokémon were cheering on their master. 

"So what did you learn from being with Pokémon?" Ranma asked as he took a ready stance. 

"Oh, things like this. WIND CANNON!" P-Ranma suddenly threw his hands forward while cupping them. Ranma suddenly felt something slam into his stomach with the force of a speeding car. He didn't see the attack coming as he was sent back twelve feet. Ranma landed hard on his back and looked up at his opponent who was smirking at him. 

"W-W-What the hell was that?!" Ranma asked as he got up. 

"Oh, that was my Wind Cannon. It's a modified version of my Pidgeotto's Gust attack. Wind Rider can do it as well." He gestured to the bird Pokémon with a thumb. 

"Pidgooo!" 

Ranma rubbed his stomach for a moment, and considered it. P-Ranma's attack was similar to the horizontal version of his Hiryu Shoten Ha but was more concentrated, easier, and faster to pull off. He also had the feeling that P-Ranma was holding back. 

"And here's what I learned from Raiden." Trainer raised an arm with the palm facing upward. A ball of ki appeared above his hand. 

"So? I can do that too." Ranma did likewise, though he had to concentrate a bit harder to form the ki. 

"But can you do this?" P-Ranma then focused his energies and the blue ball began to change to yellow-white and crackled with electricity. 

"Pikachu." Raiden knew that this was going to be messy. 

"Huh?" Ranma stared at the ball of lightning in his counterpart's hand. 

"THUNDERBLAST BOMB!" 

ZZZZAAAAAAPPPPPP!!! 

A few more minutes later… 

"Sorry about that Ranma. I should have realized that you weren't used to high voltage like I am." 

"It's… okay. Man! You have to teach me THAT one!" Ranma winced as T-Ranma again healed Ranma of his wounds. This time, he had several, second and third-degree burns and his clothes were still smoking a bit. 

"Maybe you ought to stop Ranma." Kojiro said. 

"No way!" Ranma said after T-Ranma had finished with his ministrations. "Come on, Kojiro! I want to see what you can do!" 

"Well, I don't know." Kojiro scratched the back of his head. He was reluctant to spar with Ranma, since he knew that this dimensional version of himself had also gone through the flawed Cat Fist training. 

"C'mon! Let's see this True Cat Fist!" 

The Neko Ken warrior sighed and then shifted to his hybrid form. The results were predictable. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!" 

A little more time later, on a nearby bench… 

Ranma was still clutching his chest and breathing rapidly as Kojiro addressed him in his human form. 

"You see, Ranma? You can't even look at anything that resembles a cat without freaking out. Besides, my Neko Ken powers go far beyond anything that you can do when your phobia reaches the breaking point." 

"W-What do you mean?" 

"You probably don't remember stuff whenever you act like a cat, right?" 

"Yeah, but what people tell me, I can shred trees and stuff. I'm also a LOT faster." Ranma replied. 

"Kid's stuff." Kojiro said flatly. 

"Huh?" 

"Kid's stuff. You've got no control over the Cat Fist and you get distracted real easy when some one throws catnip or a ball of yarn at you. Now check this out." He turned to T-Ranma. "Hey Prototype. Bring up a few reinforced steel girders for me." 

_Reinforced steel GIRDERS?!_ Ranma thought. 

T-Ranma activated the control console and six metal beams appeared on two supports. They were laying on their sides like the stacks of bricks that Akane used in her training. Kojiro smiled as he picked up one of the massive slats and casually bent it double. Then he folded it again. Then repeated the folds two more times as if he was folding paper. He soon had in one hand a metal bundle the size of a medicine ball. He compressed the sphere even further, adding more pressure until the mass started to snap and crack under the strain. When the beam could no longer be compressed any further, Kojiro casually tossed the football-sized mass away, which made a metallic clang when it hit the floor. 

Ranma's eyes were like saucers (the flying kind). Kojiro's show of strength made Ryoga look like a wimp. Heck, he was even stronger than Akane was during that Super Soba incident. 

"My strength, speed, reflexes and natural senses were enhanced after I fell into the Spring of Drowned Monster Tiger at Jusenkyo." Kojiro explained. "I'm even more powerful in my hybrid form, which you saw earlier. I'm also able to shift into a full tiger form. As for the true Neko Ken…" 

Kojiro faced the stack of steel girders and kicked up two into the air with no effort whatsoever. As the girders came down, Kojiro delivered a ki-powered slash to them. 

"RIP CLAW SLASH!" 

The two girders were sliced cleanly in twain and the halves made a loud series of clanging noises as they clattered to the floor. 

Kojiro then faced the remaining girders and swept out with an arm, firing off three ki projectiles in rapid succession. 

"CRESCENT SLASH BARRAGE!" 

The remaining beams were cleanly sliced one after another and fell to the floor to join the others. 

Ranma was rendered speechless. The Neko Ken he had was a pathetic imitation to what Kojiro was capable of doing. He then glanced to Draco and T-Ranma with a questioning look. 

"Don't even think about it." T-Ranma said. 

Ranma was curious as to what the other two were capable of, but after being trounced by Koga and Trainer, not to mention being showed up by Kojiro, the pigtailed martial artist decided not to press his luck. These five were obviously more powerful and skilled than he was, and his mind reeled with the possibility of learning their techniques. With their help, he could truly become the best martial artist in the world! He decided to ask them later to train him. 

Afterwards, Ranma joined his counterparts for breakfast and thought that he had died and gone to heaven. The kitchen was a technological marvel and could prepare anything that he wanted, and as MUCH as he wanted. Unlike his usual mornings, where he would have to keep his father from stealing his food, or (shudder) eat whatever Akane had cooked up for him, Ranma's stomach was given free reign as he inhaled his food. Off to one side of the dining table, the Pokémon were also enjoying their morning meals. 

T-Ranma stared at his five other selves and shook his head. Draco, Trainer, Koga and Kojiro all had appetites to match Ranma, though Koga and Draco were a bit more refined in their eating habits, probably because of their upbringing. Koga's Amazon mother and Draco's dragon guardian must have taught them to at least chew slower and pause after swallowing their food. Still, it was like watching a school of Demitrian Trapjaws during a feeding frenzy. 

_A guy could lose a hand in there._ Prototype thought as he returned to his own breakfast. A few minutes later, the huge breakfast was gone and all that was left were empty dishes. 

"All gone?" Prototype asked nonchalantly as he touched a control, making the dishes disappear to be cleaned. 

"But not forgotten!" The others said as they rubbed their bellies. 

"Man! That was some breakfast! Almost as good as Kasumi's!" Ranma said as he sighed happily. "So what are you guys going to do now?" 

"Well, funny that you should ask that." Prototype replied. "I have an announcement to make that concerns all of us." 

The others listened to what the oldest member of their group had to say. After everything that they had been through, they had come to see the technological Ranma as the leader of the group. 

"Since we're going to be here for six months… it looks like we're going to have to go to school." Prototype said the last part very quickly. 

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTT?!" The other five Ranmas all shouted at the same time and stood up abruptly. The Pokémon also looked in T-Ranma's direction after hearing this. 

Prototype sighed as gestured for his counterparts to sit back down. "Take it easy guys and let me explain!" He waited for a few moments as his counterparts to settle down and return to their seats. He then took a deep breath and said, "As I recall, before all of us got sucked into the dimensional vortex, some of us were attending school. It's been about nine months since any of us had attended a class, and I think that continuing our education will keep us occupied. Besides, we can't just hang around here for the next half-year. It would be good for us to restart our academic programs. I've already done some background checking and the school programs here are virtually the same as the ones in Draco, Kojiro and Koga and my own. We shouldn't have any problems in adjusting to them." 

P-Ranma raised his hand. "What about me? As a Pokémon trainer, I was exempt from attending school in the Pokémon world. Before that, I haven't attended school since junior high, and that was when I was fourteen." 

"No problem. I've got a few learning enhancement programs you can use here to help you get up to speed with the others." 

"And what about you?" Kojiro asked. "Aren't you a little old to be attending school? Besides, you probably have more knowledge in that computer brain of yours than all the libraries in the world." 

"True." T-Ranma replied. "Biologically speaking, I'm over twenty-one and my memory banks are quite extensive. Don't worry though. I'll be attending school not as a student, but as a teacher." 

"Teacher?" The others gasped. 

"Well, I was an instructor in my world at Furinkan High, and my application to be a history teacher has been approved. I've also had you all registered as transfer students. We start this morning." 

"WHAT?!" All the other Ranmas gasped. 

"You've already registered us?!" Draco exclaimed. 

"How the hell did you do that?!" P-Ranma said. 

T-Ranma shrugged as he answered. "Well, as you know, technology is my territory and it was child's play to hack into the systems and bypass all that paperwork. In any case, we really do need to do something productive while we're here." 

Koga, who had been quiet since T-Ranma's initial announcement, then spoke up. "Guys, I think we should go along with Prototype on this one." 

"What do you mean?" Draco asked. 

"Hey, like he said, it's not like we have anything to do for the next six months and besides, this may be our chance to experience a normal life again with no hassles or some world crisis. It will help us get ready for when we return to our own worlds, right?" 

"I guess." Kojiro said. 

"I suppose you got a point." Draco concurred. "My dragon guardian Sojan did tell me that practicing only to be a martial artist isn't good for you. Overspecializing does leave you at a loss in situations that doesn't involve fighting. Something different happens and everything gets thrown out of whack." 

Ranma winced at the statement since he knew how uncomfortable he became when the circumstances did not involve martial arts. 

T-Ranma nodded. "You got it. Moreover, I'm sure that you don't want to be cooped up in here for six months. We've got to get out and this might help us understand how Ranma lives his life, right?" 

The others turned their attention to the native Ranma and nodded. Ranma became extremely edgy at this new development. 

"So which school are we attending?" B-Ranma asked. 

"Furinkan High." 

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT?!" The other Ranmas gasped again. 

T-Ranma shrugged as he said, "Hey, it was the only one that would take us this late in the semester. It was also the only school whose policies are loose enough for our... er, idiosyncrasies." 

"You mean, the only school that can take the kind of craziness that follows us." Kojiro said. 

"That's another way of putting it." 

Ten minutes later, the six exited the closet and headed toward the main hall. It was at that time that Kasumi greeted them. 

"Why good morning Ranma. Where have you been? You missed breakfast." 

Ranma shrugged and gestured to his other selves. "That's okay Kasumi. The others invited me to practice and eat breakfast with them." 

Kasumi nodded and bowed slightly to the other Ranmas. "Oh and good morning to all of you." The otherworldly Ranmas bowed back to her. Kasumi smiled as saw Raiden perched on P-Ranma's shoulder. She reached out to stroke Raiden behind the ears. 

"Pika!" The electric mouse nuzzled his head against her hand. There was something about this girl that gave him a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. 

The eldest Tendo daughter then turned her attention to the native Ranma. "Ranma, I'm afraid that your father is very angry with you for missing your training session and Akane is very upset that you weren't here to eat the breakfast she had cooked for you. Father and Mr. Saotome had to eat it." 

Ranma felt a cold chill creep down his spine and shivered at how lucky he was that he had decided to join his other selves. "Well... it's not like I didn't miss out on any training or nuthin'. The other guys gave me quite a workout, a lot more than Pop would have given me. As for Akane, well I guess I missed out _Thank goodness_ and maybe next time _Gotta make sure I'm not around next time_." 

It was then that Genma was heard shouting in the backyard. "Ranma! Where are you? It's time to train! You may have missed out on breakfast, but you ARE NOT missing out on this!" 

"Oh brother!" Ranma sighed as he resignedly began walking toward the back yard as Kasumi went to clear the dishes in the dining room. _Probably wants to beat the heck out of me after Akane forced him to eat whatever toxic slop she cooked up._ It was then that he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He turned his head and saw P-Ranma smiling at him. 

"Hey Ranma. Would you mind if I took your place?" The Pokémon trainer had an evil grin on his face. 

"Huh? You want to take on my Pop?" 

"Yeah. Out of all of us, I look the most like you. I don't he'd notice that I'm a couple of inches taller." 

"Why are you doing this?" Ranma asked. 

"Oh, I'm curious to know how good he is, compared to the one I left when I got transported to the Pokémon world. Besides... I haven't paid him back for dragging me to Jusenkyo and putting me through that Neko Ken training." 

Ranma considered it for a moment. He was still a bit tired from his bouts with Koga and Trainer. And it was not like Genma didn't deserve a good pounding for all the trouble he caused. _Why not?_

"Okay Trainer. Go for it." 

The other Ranmas snickered a bit. This was going to amusing. 

P-Ranma nodded as he set his Pikachu down off his shoulder and told Raiden to watch with the others as he casually strode out to the backyard. 

What waited for him was a sight to behold. Genma was dressed in his usual white gi but his entire skin had taken on a different hue. Several hues in fact. Eating what Akane referred to as miso soup had actually turned his skin to plaid! He looked like a Scotsman's kilt and he was none too happy about it as he glared at his son. P-Ranma and the others tried to stifle their snickers. 

"RANMA! WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!" Genma raged. "WHY WEREN'T YOU HERE TO EAT THE BREAKFAST THAT YOUR FIANCEE MADE FOR YOU?!" 

P-Ranma shrugged as he said, "Well maybe because I'm rather fond of living. And besides, like I said before, she ain't my fiancée." This was the truth in Trainer's case. He and Ranma had discussed the native's life over breakfast and Akane's cooking. Since he still retained some of his cockiness from his previous life, it wasn't hard for P-Ranma to imitate Ranma's personality. In any case, he dropped into a standard Anything Goes stance and said in a mocking tone. "Well Pops, I hope Akane's breakfast didn't make you too sick to get pounded!" 

"INSOLENT BOY! IT'S TIME THAT I TEACH YOU TO RESPECT YOUR ELDERS!" He leapt into a high kick toward P-Ranma's head. 

However, training with Pokémon had given P-Ranma reflexes and strength that was far above that of normal people. Using his Machop's blocking move, which could stop a Primeape's Mega-Kick, he caught Genma's outstretched leg and then began swinging him around into a Seismic Toss. 

"Whoooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!" 

**_SPLASH!_**

Genma made a huge belly flop into the koi pond and surfaced in his cursed form. 

"Growf!" 

_Just as dopey-looking as he was when I left him at Jusenkyo._ P-Ranma jokingly put a hand to his ear. "What's that Pops? Can't understand a word you're saying. Speak up!" 

"Growf!" Genma fumed, then splashed some water at P-Ranma. 

"Look..." Ranma began, then was as shocked as Genma when the water hit his counterpart. 

P-Ranma didn't even bother to move out of the way as the cold water splashed onto him. The look on Genma's face was priceless! 

Genma held up a sign as he continued to stare. #How did you DO that?!# 

Ranma was also flabbergasted. "He told me that he fell into the Nyannichuan. Why didn't he turn into a girl?" 

Trainer continued to grin as he bent forward and said in a mocking tone to Genma, "Would you like to know how I did it?" 

Genma nodded eagerly and leaned forward to hear him. 

P-Ranma simply shrugged and winked. "Well... THAT is a secret!" He then let off a series of guffaws. 

Genma facefaulted into the koi pond. 

In a place far removed from normal space... 

Ranma Red shook his head and said, "Where did THAT come from?" 

Ranma Blue shrugged. "I guess Xellos must be watching from somewhere." 

As a matter of fact, in another part of reality, a certain trickster priest was laughing his head off. 

Back in Ranma's universe, P-Ranma continued to pound the living daylights out of Genma. The cursed panda man thought he could get the drop on the boy while he was laughing, but the Pokémon trainer proved to be far more than he bargained for. As soon as he lunged, P-Ranma simply leapt up and bounced off Genma's head, kicking him right back into the koi pond. A moment later, Genma leapt out to try an aerial attack, but Ranma simply countered him in the air, grabbing him in midleap, and slammed him to the ground with another Seismic Toss. The impact he made with the ground caused the entire backyard to shudder. Before Genma could even think of getting up, Ranma grabbed him by the feet and sent him up. As he came down, P-Ranma reared back with a fist and focused his energy. 

"FIST OF THE PIKACHU!" 

P-Ranma delivered an uppercut that was similar to an Electabuzz's Thunder Punch, but was amplified and had also had ki energy backing it up. Since Genma was still wet from being dunked into the koi pond twice, the soaked fur became an excellent conductor. 

KRAKOOOM! 

As if he had been hit by the great-granddaddy of all lightning bolts, the fat martial artist was lit up like a Christmas tree and his skeleton showed briefly as he blinked on and off. Genma flopped onto his stomach and was smoking from the impact. He groaned pitifully as Ranma and the others stepped out into the yard. 

"Who likes their panda steaks well done?" P-Ranma joked. 

"That was AWESOME!" Ranma exclaimed. "You have GOT to teach me that move!" 

Genma was still dazed as he looked up and saw two versions of his son. He weakly held up a sign. #Hey! Wait a minute! You're not Ranma!# 

"Sure I am! I'm as much as Ranma as he is." P-Ranma said. "It's just that I'm not your son. Thank Kami-sama for that!" 

The others applauded their counterpart for trashing Genma and then began laughing. 

On the way to school... 

Since Akane was so angry with Ranma for not being present to eat her cooking, she had stormed off to school without waiting for him. As a result, Ranma was now walking to school with his five other selves. As usual, he was walking on the fence as the others decided to take the streets. Four of the otherworldly Ranmas were dressed in school uniforms while T-Ranma was dressed in a conservative suit and carrying a briefcase. P-Ranma had his Pikachu perched on his shoulder. Raiden was currently using his cloaking pendant. 

"I still gotta know why you didn't turn into a girl like I do. What's your secret?" 

"Well..." P-Ranma was about to show Ranma his Water Stone when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to his right and saw T-Ranma slowly shake his head. The Pokémon trainer was about to ask his technological counterpart as to what was going on when he saw the expression in his eyes, which brooked no argument. He reluctantly nodded and said to the native Ranma, "I'm sorry Ranma, but... I can't tell you." 

"Why?" Ranma was burning to know how his counterpart didn't have to worry about changing into a girl. That would solve a majority of his own problems, especially with Kuno. 

"Ranma, we need to have a little privacy. Sorry." T-Ranma ushered his counterparts off to one side and made certain they were out of earshot. _Computer, sound suppression field, twenty-foot radius._

(*Acknowledged *) 

Suddenly, the group became surrounded by a large, transparent, energy bubble, which kept any sound from being transmitted to the outside. T-Ranma nodded and said, "Okay, we can talk freely now." 

"Okay Prototype, what's the deal?" P-Ranma asked. 

"Pikachu?" Raiden dropped his cloaking field so that he could participate in the discussion. 

T-Ranma took a deep breath and said, "Guys, I think it would be best for all of us if we didn't let on about a few things to Ranma, specifically that we can cure his curse. The same thing goes for anyone else of this world." 

"What do you mean?" B-Ranma asked. 

"Well, last night, while you were all sleeping, I decided to review the scans that my ship's dimensional viewer had recorded about this world, and especially about the native Ranma here. After seeing it all, I decided that advertising a cure for Jusenkyo curses is just asking for trouble." 

"What?" The other Ranmas said. 

"Well, I think the best way for me explain is to show you." _Computer, begin a direct mind-link transferal of downloaded dimensional scans to my four counterparts. Show them what I saw on the viewer last night._

(*Acknowledged *) 

Instantly, T-Ranma's aura began to glow, which triggered the auras of the others. The four Ranmas began seeing in their minds of images that the nanotech soldier had seen the night before. The native Ranma's entire life up to this point flashed through their heads. Some of them became horrified and disgusted at some of the actions of their native double. They just couldn't believe just how pathetic Ranma could be. Kojiro became angry at how callously Ranma had treated Ukyo. Koga became displeased at his double's ignorance to Amazon law and how he treated Shampoo and Cologne. Draco shook his head at all the chaos that seemed to follow Ranma, while P-Ranma sighed in relief at all the things that never happened to him after being transported to the Pokémon world. Ranma's entire life became an open book to all of them. After a few minutes, the images stopped and the five returned to reality. 

"Now do you understand?" T-Ranma asked. 

"Man! I can't believe just how pathetic he is! He's almost like Genma!" Kojiro said in disgust. 

"He's got quite an ego and tends to put his foot into his mouth." Koga noted. 

"No tact whatsoever." T-Ranma agreed. 

"I can't believe that he's like that." P-Ranma exclaimed. 

"Pika." 

"Well, in his defense, should you have expected otherwise?" Draco said. "Unlike us, he never got away from Genma at all and I'm afraid that stupid panda has had quite an influence on him." 

"After seeing all that, I'm REALLY glad that I got sent to the Pokémon world!" Trainer exclaimed. 

"Pikachu!" Raiden wholeheartedly agreed and shuddered to think that his master would turn out like that. Of course, P-Ranma wasn't too much different from the native one, but at least he was changing his personality and at least didn't have a chronic foot-in-mouth disease. 

"Now I can understand why you don't want us to reveal the existence of Trainer's Water Stone or that I can possibly remove his curse." Draco said. "I can imagine that once Ryoga, Mousse or Genma gets wind of it, they won't leave us alone, would they?" 

"Exactly." T-Ranma affirmed. "This reality is chaotic enough without us adding to it." 

Back in that other reality. 

"Oh he doesn't really believe that they can avoid the chaos, now does he?" Ranma Blue said to his sibling. 

"No matter which dimension, you can always count on one thing." Ranma Red replied. "Any counterpart of ours, including ourselves, will always be followed by chaos. I guess it's in our karma." 

Back in the Ranma universe. 

"In a way, I've got to hand it to Ranma for putting up with this stuff, day in and day out, without going insane." Trainer said. "But, I really feel sorry for him. I know what it is like to be cursed. I went through some hard times dealing with my curse before I got the Water Stone from Professor Oak." 

"Yes, but you became a better person by adapting to it and making it work for you, instead of letting it control your life." Koga said. "The same thing goes for Kojiro's Neko Ken and my blindness. We could have taken the easy way out, but we all decided not to. It is because we all learned that it's not the blindness, the Neko Ken or the curse that causes the problems, but rather the way we deal with it. We've all learned to turn our burdens into boons. We've learned to adapt and overcome our weaknesses and that's made us stronger for it." 

"Yes, well this Ranma will take any and every opportunity to get rid of his curse and that's caused him to make some very foolhardy decisions. Not to mention that whatever problems that does crop up, he doesn't try to resolve them, but leaves them alone and hopes that they will go away." Prototype said. "He's shirking responsibility for his actions, just like Genma does." Koga said with irritation. 

"The more we talk about him, the more I start to dislike him." Kojiro said. 

"Keep in mind guys, that he hasn't had any of the opportunities we've had. Perhaps what Ranma needs are a few pushes in the right direction." T-Ranma stated. "I have the feeling that all Ranma sees in us is a way for him to become free of his burdens and follow that one-track mind of his to become the best martial artist. We are not going to solve all of his problems for him. He's going to have to do that himself. What we can do is to show him that what he has been doing so far is self-defeating and he really needs to make some major adjustments to his personality." 

"We could remove his curse." Draco said. "That seems to be one major cause to his troubles." 

"Sure we could. We can also get rid of all his enemies, resolve his engagements and make him the greatest fighter in the world. But WHAT will he learn from all of that?" T-Ranma asked. "Nothing. He will learn absolutely nothing if he has all his problems solved for him and given everything on a silver platter. Granted that we all got some breaks that he never got, but we also have our own problems to deal with back home, right?" 

All the others nodded. Though they did gain some good things from their experiences, they also remembered the hardships they had to endure in order to resolve their problems or at least tolerate them. The problems that the native Ranma faced every day were never solved, and more kept on piling up. Something was bound to snap, and they could see that the native Ranma's life was a spiraling dive toward burnout and mental breakdown. 

"Now what I suggest that we start doing is observe Ranma for a week or so. Although we have seen what his life has been like so far, we need to see him in action, what he's like and how he reacts to things. We might be able to stop him from making any further mistakes and guide him toward a better future. It also wouldn't hurt for him to get away from Genma's influence and let him make his own decisions." 

"Yeah, I can see that a lot of his problems are because of that stupid panda." Kojiro said, to which the others nodded in agreement. 

"Even so, should we be meddling in things that aren't our business?" Draco asked. "I mean, it IS his life." 

T-Ranma sighed. "Look at me in the eyes, and tell me straight that you don't feel the need to help Ranma after seeing those images. You're the one who suggested that we should remove his curse. Now if that isn't meddling, then I don't know what is." 

"Touché." 

T-Ranma nodded. "All right guys. Are we agreed? Do we want to help Ranma, despite the fact that he's egotistical, boorish, chauvinistic, rude and couldn't keep his foot out of his mouth if his life depended on it?" 

"I guess." Kojiro said reluctantly. "At the very least, he's got to stop treating Ukyo as someone with whom he can get a free meal and leading her on like that." 

Koga nodded. "It might do him some good to see that Shampoo and Cologne do have their good points and teach him not to take everything at face value. Maybe he'll be able to have more respect for other people's feelings." 

T-Ranma nodded. "I can understand how you can be an expert in that field." 

"Since I am the closest to him in many ways, I might be able to teach him how to open up more and show that martial arts isn't the only thing." P-Ranma suggested. 

Draco nodded. "Well I guess I can show him a few things too. I saw in those images that he has to hide from his mother because of that seppuku pledge. Maybe I can help him with that." 

Prototype then wrapped things up. "His immaturity has GOT to go. He's gone on too long like this and it's only going to get worse if he doesn't learn some independence and try to think for himself. He's relied too much on others, especially on Genma and Akane, despite the fact that Genma uses him as a meal ticket, and Akane abuses him, day in and day out, whether he deserved it or not." 

"Well, we can change a few things in that department too, right guys?" Kojiro gave his counterparts a knowing smirk. The others nodded. 

In the pocket of reality. 

"Oh boy! I have a feeling that Genma and Akane are in for six months of major changes and pain." Ranma Blue observed. 

"Well, it's not like we can say that Genma doesn't deserve to be on the receiving end and pay for the consequences of his actions." Ranma Red responded. "If he doesn't take his lumps like everyone else, then he's going to keep on committing crimes and getting away with them." 

"A pity we can't do this to ALL of the realities in which Genma acted this way." 

"You know the rules. We are only allowed to alter THIS Ranma universe only. Once the task is completed, those other Ranmas will be returned to their home worlds to live out their own destinies." 

"And Akane?" 

Ranma Red nodded. "She and all the other girls are going to have a bit of an attitude adjustment and realize that Ranma is a person, and not just something to fight over like a prize. Akane will probably be the most affected as she interacts with five Ranmas that neither hold her in high regard, nor consider her as anyone special. She's going to have a lot to think about in the next half-year." 

"She's not all bad you know." 

"You know that, and I know that, but this Akane must also learn a few lessons as well, just like ours did. And I'm afraid that just like ours, she'll have to learn the HARD way. She's going to be getting huge servings of lumps with side dishes of humility. However, she might just be able to come out of this a better person. If not, then she won't have anyone to blame but herself for not understanding the lessons that these five are going to teach her." 

"Sometimes this job really gets to me." 

"I know, but we both knew the ups and downs of this job when we took the positions." 

Back on Earth, T-Ranma dispelled the sound suppression field as he and the others rejoined their native counterpart on their way to Furinkan High. Although Ranma kept on badgering P-Ranma on how he was able to handle his curse, the Pokémon trainer would smile and change the subject. After ten minutes with no headway, Ranma decided to table those thoughts for later. He was sure that he could convince his other self to reveal his secret. 

It was then that the six Ranmas arrived at Furinkan High. 

To be continued. 

Author's Notes 

Well that takes care of this chapter. Now for those of you who were expecting something hilarious to happen, I'm getting to that part, but I also want to explore more deep writing as well. The last few chapters were done strictly for amusement and I was in a real silly mood at the time. After all, this story is called the Great Crossover CRISIS and you can expect our intrepid five to play merry havoc with the canon universe. Who knows? Ranma might just take a trip with the others on their journeys (hint, hint). In any case, I hope to keep you all tuned in. As for now, I've decided to finish off the next chapters of Fighting Blind and Cat Fist Fury, and maybe put up another chapter of Gundam Warblade while I'm at it. 


	13. Chapter 9 (part 1)

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: What are you looking at me for? 

Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury Ranma 

T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Prototype, Tekno) 

D-Ranma: Dragon Child Ranma (Draco) 

B-Ranma: Fighting Blind Ranma (Koga) 

P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu Ranma (Trainer, Ash) 

: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

**Chapter 9 **

Part 1 

Six of a Kind 

P-Ranma absently stroked Raiden's ears as he and the other Ranmas neared the school gates. He then began considering what he had seen from T-Ranma's computer scans and decided that his Pokémon didn't need to hide, considering the craziness that his native counterpart encountered daily. 

"Raiden, you don't have to hide. I doubt these people are going to make too big deal about it." 

"Pika?" 

T-Ranma considered the Pokémon Trainer's comment, then shrugged. "I suppose that it wouldn't make any difference. Raiden can save his pendant's energy for when he really needs it." 

In an instant, the Pikachu reappeared and nuzzled his master's head. 

The crowds of students who caught sight of six duplicates of their most well known classmate collectively gasped. One Ranma Saotome was enough, but six of them? 

"Look!" 

"What the…?" 

"Six Ranmas?!" 

"Maybe they're brothers or lookalike cousins?" 

"Wow! They're so tall and handsome!" 

"What's that thing on that guy's shoulder?" 

"It looks like… a Pikachu?" 

"No way! Pokémon's just an anime!" 

"It certainly LOOKS real!" 

"Ooh! HOW CUTE!" 

"Who's that really tall Ranma on the end?" 

"What's going on?" 

High up on the second floor of the main building, Nabiki smirked as she watched the six Ranmas make their way toward the front doors. Her head was literally flooded with the possibilities of how much yen she could make with these new arrivals. She and her flunkies were already poised to get as much information about them as well as snapping photos. Beside her, Akane let off a snort of disgust at how those five duplicates of the native Ranma were getting so much attention. 

Akane had taken it rather personally after being insulted and then paralyzed by the blind Ranma last evening. The nerve of him calling her an ill-mannered brat! Those other Ranmas adding insults to injury made her boil with rage. How dare they belittle her skills as a martial artist! She was the heir to the Tendo School of the Anything Goes! Okay, she admitted that she hadn't been training as hard and that her skills weren't exactly up to snuff to Ukyo or Shampoo's, but she could still beat her Ranma, right? That Battle Dogi did say that she had great potential, right? 

She was also very angry to see Ranma alongside his dimensional counterparts. She had been very angry when he wasn't present to eat the breakfast she had worked so hard in preparing. 

On the schoolyard, the five dimensional Ranmas politely waved to the crowds as they approached the front of the main building. It was then that Tatewaki Kuno made his customary entrance to once again challenge Ranma and defeat him in order to free Akane and the pigtailed girl from his 'sorcerous clutches.' As he strode out, his gave out his usual poetic nonsense. 

"Ranma Saotome! Today the heavens shall at last smite thee with the sword of justice as the I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, will…" 

"Aw, put a sock in it, Kuno! I ain't got time for you." Ranma retorted as he got into a stance. 

It was then that Kuno's jaw dropped as he saw his worst nightmare multiplied by six. "What dark sorcery is this? Has the coward Saotome conjured up demons fashioned in his own image?" 

"What are you talking about Kuno?" Ranma gestured to his counterparts. "These are just…. uh, my….?" He turned to his lookalikes for help. 

T-Ranma shrugged as he replied. "We're his lookalike cousins." 

"Er, yeah that's right. This is cousin Kojiro, cousin Draco, cousin Koga, cousin…?" Ranma gave Prototype and Trainer a puzzled look. 

T-Ranma shrugged again as he thought up a name at random. He made a note to hack into the school's systems and make the necessary changes. "I'm cousin Tekno, remember?" _Tekno as in technology._

"And I'm…." Trainer thought for a moment then remembered the name of a trainer that his associate Jeanette had told him about. "Ash… ura, yeah I'm Ashura, but you can call me Ash." 

"Yeah, this is cousin Ash and cousin Tekno." Ranma finished. 

"Liar! You dare to presume I would believe such a ridiculous story!" Kuno raged as he held out his bokken. "It obvious that you had used your foul black magic to conjure up these demons and molded them in your image, Ranma Saotome! I can see that as the coward that you are, you think that you could send your creations against me? You shall pay for your deceit! Have at thee!" 

**_WHAM!_**

Ranma easily evaded the bokken slash and delivered a hard roundhouse kick to Kuno's midsection. The insane kendoist was sent flying backward and impacted hard against the wall of the school building before sliding painfully to the ground. 

"That didn't hurt." Kuno mumbled as he faded into unconsciousness. 

As Ranma sighed and turned back to his counterparts and said, "Sorry about that but Kuno just won't quit." 

B-Ranma shrugged. "That's okay. I've got someone just like him back from where I come from as well. He's just as big a headache." 

"Same here." Kojiro affirmed. "Man! He's no better than the other Kuno! So this happens to you every day?" 

Ranma nodded. 

"I've never met him before." Draco said. 

"Neither have I." Trainer said. 

"Oh well, it's not like he could ever become much of a threat against us." Prototype remarked. _Isn't that right, computer?_

(*Affirmative. Native Kuno's power level rated at 29 and skills are similar to Kuno in home universe. Threat STILL less than negligible. *) 

Ranma nodded. "Come on guys. We'd better get to class before the late bell rings and…" 

It was then that they noticed a huge dust cloud approaching from the side. Ranma and Kojiro winced as they saw who was running ahead of a mob of angry girls. It was a little gnome with a huge sack slung over his shoulder. Prototype became very intrigued at the power level of this dwarf, which was comparable to the energy signature of the Cologne in his world when he saved the Amazon village. 

"WOO HOO! What a haul! What a haul!" 

"Oh no!" Ranma groaned. 

"Happosai." Kojiro hissed as he saw one of the banes of his dimension come rushing toward them. Though the grandmaster of the Anything Goes was now a cripple in his universe, Kojiro still carried some bad memories about the freak and how he made his life miserable. First by sending Pantyhose Tarou after him, then trying to drag him back to the Tendo Dojo with that Moxibustion Point. The group of females that was chasing him were brandishing brooms, rackets, golf clubs and various other implements to pummel the ancient pervert flat. If they ever caught him that is. 

"Hey you…" Ranma started forward to stop the lecher but then felt a hand on his shoulder holding him back. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kojiro's serious expression. 

"Let me handle him." 

Ranma considered it for a moment then decided that he wanted to see how this version of himself could handle the old pervert. "Go for it." 

Kojiro nodded and leapt into action as his other selves watched. 

"Hey you freak!" 

Happosai smirked as he saw what he thought was Ranma rushing toward him. In his hurry to get away from his pursuers, he didn't notice that this Ranma was taller and more muscular than the one he knew. He decided to get rid of this nuisance by tossing one of his patented fuse bombs. He was having too much fun and wasn't about to let it get spoiled. 

"HAPPO-FIRE BURST!" 

Kojiro however, was far faster than Happosai expected as he knocked the bomb back with a swipe, then followed up with a ki blast. 

"RAGING TIGER BOLT!" 

**_KABOOM! KABOOM!_**

Happosai went soaring from the double explosion. He was used to having his own bombs blowing up in his face, but that second hit by Kojiro's ki blast was something else! Though Ranma's Moko Takabisha had never hit him before, he had been confident of being able to withstand it. But that blast really stung! How did Ranma's ki projectile get THAT STRONG?! 

Happosai landed hard on the ground and moaned a bit as his precious cargo of stolen gym shorts, panties and bras was scattered all over the yard. By that time, the girls had caught up with him and… 

**_WHAM! POW! STOMP! KICK! MANGLE! KAPOW! CRUNCH! BAM! WHAP! CRASH! SLAM! WHACK! BOOT! WHUMP! THWACK! SNAP!_**

After pounding the pervert flat, the girls then turned their attention to getting their unmentionables back. Happosai was a bruised and battered wreck. He then angrily got up and glared at the interloper. 

"RANMA! You just ruined a perfectly good haul!" Happosai cried out in outrage as his battle aura flared. 

"So what are you going to do about it, hmmm?" Kojiro took a stance of his own as he smirked at him with utter contempt. "Go steal some more? I'll just stop you again just like this time." 

"PREPARE TO DIE!" Happosai's rage went up as he suddenly launched a huge, snakelike ki blast at the insolent boy. 

Kojiro smirk became even more pronounced as he readied his 'claws' and then lashed out at the attack. 

"RIPCLAW SLASH!" 

To Happosai's surprise, and to everyone else who was watching, Kojiro's ki-powered slash cut through the pervert's projectile as if it were nothing, The attack fizzled out, leaving the ancient master agape with his jaw hitting the ground. 

"What the…?! How did you…?!" Happosai began to feel a rare emotion; fear. If he didn't know better, he'd swear that he just saw Ranma use the dreaded Cat Fist… on a conscious level. 

"SPECIAL ATTACK…" 

T-Ranma frowned as he saw the buildup of Kojiro's battle aura. "He's going a little overboard." 

"Don't worry." Koga said as he reached out with his senses. "He may have some resentment toward Happosai from his own world, but I know him enough that he won't kill this Happosai. Just give him a sample of what he can really do and show him that he's not someone to mess with." 

Ranma could only stare in awe. This was what the real Cat Fist was capable of? 

Happosai desperately leapt high to avoid whatever attack Kojiro was about to launch. However, the Cat Fist fighter smirked as he made a backward somersault and lashed out with a kick. 

"SABER SLASH KICK!" 

A crescent-shaped ki blast lanced forward and upward, catching Happosai in midair and exploded. This caused all the fuse bombs he carried in his gi to also go off. Happosai was hurled off into the distance. 

"I'll get you for this Ranmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The old lecher was soon a distant point in the sky and vanished. 

"Don't call me Ranma!" Kojiro called after him. He then dusted himself off and breathed out a sigh of contentment. That had felt good. All around him, the crowds of students began applauding him, especially the girls. 

On the second floor, Nabiki let off a low whistle. "Hmm, it seems that Kojiro was more than able to handle Happosai better than our Ranma could." She then gave her sister a teasing smile. "He certainly proved that he's better than you." 

Akane had been stupefied by the display of Kojiro's skills when her sister's comment brought her back to reality. "Hmpf!" 

Down on the schoolyard… 

"Way to go!" Koga commented as he and the others went over to congratulate him on his victory. 

"That was totally awesome! You've GOT to teach me those moves!" Ranma said excitedly. 

Before Kojiro could respond, the late bell sounded. 

T-Ranma moaned as he said, "Uh oh! Looks like we're late now. C'mon guys, we better get going." 

Ranma nodded as he turned around to face off against a little girl in a yellow dress, Ninomiya Hinako. 

"Why aren't you and the rest of these delinquents in class, Ranma Saotome?" 

"Oops! Sorry Hinako-sensei, but I was just getting to homeroom right now and…" 

"You are a delinquent Ranma Saotome, and therefore you must be punished!" Hinako said as she took out a five-yen coin and held it up between the index and middle fingers of her right hand. 

"NO!" Ranma rushed forward and aimed for the pressure points to stop her. 

"HAPPO-FIVE-YEN SATSU!" 

Too late. 

The other five Ranmas stared in amazement as their native counterpart was reduced to a thinner, weaker version of himself as his ki was sucked out of him. T-Ranma's scanners were busy analyzing the process, as were Koga's senses. Fortunately, Prototype was in front of his group and his nanties were projecting a disruption field to shield him and his counterparts from the ki-absorption effect. 

Then, to the five Ranmas amazement, plus to the drooling looks of every male student who was watching, Hinako suddenly morphed into a shapely, twenty-year-old woman. The yellow dress she wore now became skintight and just barely cleared her fanny. Her now ample chest almost seemed to burst out from her front. 

Akane smirked as she saw Ranma get drained after reaching for Hinako's chest. _Serves the pervert right!_

T-Ranma frowned. _Computer, what was that?_

(*Analysis indicates that subject had used some kind of life-energy absorption technique, similar to the Krystellian Energy Leeches of Vagus Nine. Exercise caution.*) 

Koga also frowned. _Not good! Ranma's ki signature has been diminished._

Ranma moaned as he collapsed to the ground. He was as weak as a kitten and it would take him a while for his body to recover. Until then, he hoped that his enemies wouldn't get wind of his weakness and attack him. 

T-Ranma went over to where Ranma fell and placed his hand on his shoulder. _Computer, begin ki restoration._

The computer acknowledged as thousands of nanites began releasing a portion of their stores of ki energy into Ranma's body. T-Ranma glowed with a soft blue light as he lent Ranma some of his power. In moments, Ranma's body filled out again as his strength and health was fully restored. 

Ranma stood up in surprise and turned to his benefactor. "H-H-How did you do that?" 

T-Ranma shrugged as he waved it off. "It was nothing." 

Hinako was stunned to see the student she had just disciplined up and about so soon as she glared at the person who interfered. Even though she saw six nearly identical Ranmas, she merely assumed that since they looked like him, then they were all delinquents, just like the native one. 

"How dare you interfere with my disciplining my student! You must be a delinquent too if you're helping this delinquent!" 

"I beg your pardon? And just who are you to say how students are to be disciplined? Besides, that's no way for you to speak to a teacher, young lady." 

"Teacher?" Hinako said in disbelief. 

The crowds of students that were now gathering at the windows of the building also began murmuring among themselves. 

"He's a teacher?" 

"No way!" 

"He looks too young to be one!" 

Hinako became more agitated as she came to the conclusion that this person was fibbing. "I don't believe you! No teacher would help a delinquent. You're lying and that proves that you are a delinquent! You will be punished!" 

"Look out!" Ranma called out as he saw her aim her coin at T-Ranma. 

The nanotech warrior shrugged as he motioned for his counterparts to step back. "Don't worry, I can handle this." 

On the second floor, Akane watched with interest as Prototype faced off against Hinako-sensei. A part of her hoped that he got his ki sucked out, after the way he and the others berated her skills. 

"HAPPO-FIVE-YEN SATSU!" 

T-Ranma stood with his feet braced and his arms crossed as Hinako tried to absorb his ki. However, his computer had already set up a disruption field to prevent any energy from being drained. 

When the girl-turned-woman saw that she wasn't absorbing any of his energy, she mistakenly assumed that her opponent had figured out that by not attacking, she could not use the Happo-Five-Yen Collection against him. 

"Impressive. However… let us see if you can handle this!" She took out a fifty-yen piece. "HAPPO-FIFTY-YEN SATSU!" 

To everyone's shock, T-Ranma was still standing with no decrease in ki at all. Hinako's eyes widened, as she still could not drain the nanotech soldier of his energy. 

"Having trouble?" T-Ranma asked nonchalantly as his scanners continued to analyze the woman in front of him. After they had given him all the information he needed, he then smiled and said, "All right, if you want my ki so badly, then here you go." His battle aura then flared to life. 

This made Hinako grin as she focused her concentration on the battle aura. However, after a moment, her smile disappeared as she realized that something was wrong. The energy she was absorbing was enormous and too erratic! Her body trembled as every cell in her body was flooded with raw energy. 

"W-W-Wait! S-S-Stop!" Hinako cried out as her limbs shook and quivered. She began to feel her legs give way as T-Ranma's battle aura flared even brighter. 

"Come on now! You're barely a tenth of the way there!" 

The students watched in awe as T-Ranma displayed a level of ki manipulation that was unheard of. Sweat began to pour down Hinako's forehead as she tried to halt her energy drain. However, her body wouldn't listen as it continued to greedily suck in the power that her opponent was generating. 

Koga's senses were on full alert as he detected huge amounts of ki being exchanged between the two. Hinako's body was going critical and if she did not release that power immediately, her body would explode! 

"Guys, get back! This going to be messy!" 

The other Ranmas took their blind counterpart's advice and dove for cover. The entire schoolyard was glowing with a blue light and the spectators had to squint in order to see what was happening. 

"P-P-please… stop!" Hinako begged as she desperately tried to halt in taking in more ki. The fingers that held the coin were locked and she couldn't move her limbs as they were pulsating with power. 

T-Ranma smirked as he relented and reached over to flick the coin out of her hands. 

Hinako cried out with joy as she found the strength to hold up both hands with her thumbs and forefingers in a triangle, aiming them, point-blank at T-Ranma's chest. 

"HAPPO-NO-YEN RETURN!" 

Hinako discharged all of her stolen ki in one massive blast. The students all became blinded as Prototype received all his stolen life energy, with interest. There was a tremendous flare of light as trees were knocked down and windows were rattled from the shockwave. When the brightness finally died down and the dust settled the onlookers were totally dumbfounded at what they saw. 

Standing in a huge, fifty-foot crater, T-Ranma was still standing without a scratch as he looked down at the diminutive Hinako, who had reverted to her child form. The little girl looked up at her opponent with confusion. 

"Are you done?" Tekno asked casually. 

Hinako then pitched forward and fainted from exhaustion. The nanotech martial artist quickly caught her in his arms before she hit the ground. Behind him, his other selves ran up to him. 

"Prototype, are you okay?" Kojiro asked. 

T-Ranma nodded as he held up the unconscious Hinako in his arms and began to slowly head towards the school. "I'm fine. I'm just a little dizzy from reabsorbing my own ki." 

"You absorbed all that power?!" Trainer asked in amazement. 

T-Ranma shrugged. "It's no big deal. My body has been storing it for years, so it wasn't that hard to contain it again. It was my ki after all." 

"What the hell happened?" Ranma asked. "How did you beat her?" 

"Easy." T-Ranma replied. "I figured that she had an upper limit to how much ki she could hold. My body contains far more ki than she could ever hope to drain. When I let loose with my battle aura, her body tried to absorb all of that energy at once and went into near overload. That forced her to discharge it back at me. My nanites reabsorbed the ki and the strain of releasing that much power was too much for her and she fainted. Simple really." 

"Whoa!" Ranma couldn't believe how powerful the oldest Ranma was. He then remembered what he had to do and reached for the pressure points to seal off Hinako's powers again. 

T-Ranma backed off when Ranma tried to grope her chest." What are you doing? She's harmless now." 

Ranma then gave his other self a serious look. "Look, don't think of this as something perverted, okay? I have to apply these pressure points on her or she'll go right back to absorbing ki again!" 

T-Ranma studied the small child in his arms, then shook his head. "No, I don't think that will be necessary." 

"But…" "Don't worry about it. Look, you and the others are late for classes now, so you better go now. I'll take care of Miss Hinako. I'll explain everything to her and get this misunderstanding all cleared up, so none of you will get punished, okay?" 

The other Ranmas gave him a wary look, then decided that that since he hadn't steered them wrong yet, they all hurried into the school building as T-Ranma carried Hinako to the nurse's office. 

The rest of the students could only watch in awe. 

Ten minutes later… 

T-Ranma watched the sleeping child on the cot and wondered about her. He had gotten the files on Ninomiya Hinako and was surprised at the information. According to the records, she was supposed to be in her early twenties, but she retained the body of a ten-year-old girl. That didn't make any sense. Unless of course, she had some kind of rare disease such as systemic hypoclasia, which prevented her from aging. 

That didn't sound right to the interstellar troubleshooter as she attained her rightful age whenever she drained someone else's ki. Since ki was the energy of all living things, it must have meant that her own personal stores must be very low and she only had enough for a ten-year-old body. So she could only become an adult by taking the ki of others to make up for the difference. However, the transfer seemed to be highly unstable as the file had depicted photos of her returning to her childlike state. 

_Computer, begin biochemical analysis of this… Hinako. Run all relevant scans. Maybe we can help her with her ki imbalance._

(*Compliance.*) 

A minute later, T-Ranma's biocomputer had completed scanning and was now giving him the results. 

(*Subject seems to have an altered metabolism that allows her to absorb high amounts of ki energies. However, the metabolic rate of how she uses that energy is accelerated and causes her to deplete all borrowed energies in a short time. Personal stores of own ki is low, due to inherent weak constitution. Suggest using nanites to bring her metabolic rate back to normal.*) 

_What about her weak constitution?_

(*Nanites can also alter genetic code to restore constitution to normal levels. An infusion of host's own ki will also be required to jumpstart subject's own ki recovery. *) 

T-Ranma thought about it for a while as he looked at the sleeping girl. _Must be hard for her to be an adult in a child's body._ He had talked to the other teachers and they had informed him of the disrespect of some students and her nickname of Hina-chan sensei. She did use her ki-sucking powers to discipline rowdy students, but to be reduced back down to a ten-year-old again, well that must really give her a hard time with her identity. He felt sorry for her and decided. 

_Do it, computer._

(*Acknowledged!*) 

The intergalactic bounty hunter placed a hand on her forehead and began telephasing thousands of his microscopic robots into the girl. At the same time, his hand glowed softly with ki as the tiny, technological wonders went to work. Ninomiya's body began to grow and age as the infusion of ki was fed into her. When she reached the proper age and build, the nanites went about the task of stabilizing her metabolism and altering her constitution to that of a normal woman of her age. The process took less than two minutes and after completing their directives, the nanites were telephased back into their host. 

A moment later, Hinako moaned and opened her eyes, feeling remarkably refreshed. It was as if she had just drained a delinquent and had become an adult. However, she felt different somehow… 

She then sat up and saw T-Ranma grinning at her from her bedside. 

"Hello Miss Hinako. I'm… Tekno Saotome, and I'm the new history teacher." He then held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet with a co-worker." 

After explanations were made… 

"Are you serious? I'll never revert back to being a child again?" Hinako couldn't believe it. 

"That's right, Miss Hinako. I noticed your… shall we say unique constitution and I happen to know a few techniques that corrected the imbalance in your metabolism." 

"I… don't know what to say…" To Hinako, this was new feeling for her. She would now looked up to as an adult and those bratty kids won't ever call her Hina-chan sensei again. She could finally see other people and maybe even fall in love? She started giving T-Ranma a funny look. 

T-Ranma missed the expression as he continued with his explanations. "Of course, I had to alter that ki-draining ability of yours in the process." 

"But… how will I discipline the children if I can't…?" 

T-Ranma held up a hand. "I said that I altered that ability. You'll still be able to drain another's ki in self-defense or to discipline someone, but you won't absorb it. It'll simply be dispersed around you." He then gave her a wink. "But I'm certain that a pretty lady like you can keep the students in line." 

Hinako blushed at the compliment. Now that she was an adult at all times, she could really appreciate compliments about her looks. Whenever she changed into a child, people looked down at her and treated her like a child. It was very distressing at times. Especially during that time she had pursued Soun Tendo. 

"I don't know how to thank you…" 

T-Ranma held up a hand and said, "Just don't be too hard on Ranma or the other students. Don't be too quick to judge and at least hear out the whole story before you decide to discipline anyone, all right?" 

Hinako nodded. After hearing T-Ranma's explanations as to what happened in the schoolyard, she realized that she had been too hasty. "All right. I will apologize for my… impulsiveness." 

"Sounds good to me." T-Ranma said as he got up. "Well, now that everything's been settled, I have to get to my first class. It'll be a pleasure working here at Furinkan High and with you. Good day to you, Miss Hinako." 

As Hinako watched him leave, she secretly smiled as she admired his well-built form. Other than Soun Tendo, he was the only one who had ever been nice to her. She still couldn't get over how similar he was to Ranma Saotome and thought of him as Ranma done right. He had that certain charm that drew other girls to him like a magnet. However, this version of him was more seasoned and mature, making that charm so irresistible! And now that Hinako no longer had to worry about reverting back to a child… 

Back in that place beyond reality… 

Ranma Blue shook his head. "Uh oh! Do you see that look in Hinako's eyes?" 

Ranma Red smirked. "Oh boy! This is going to get complicated! And it's only their second day!" 

To be continued… 

Author's notes 

Well, as expected the five dimensional Ranmas are making big splashes and things can only get more tangled as they try to make sense out of the native Ranma's life. 


	14. Chapter 9 (part 2)

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: Well? What are you looking at me for? 

: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

[" "]: Chinese language 

Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury 

T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Prototype, Tekno) 

D-Ranma: Dragon Child (Draco) 

P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer, Ash) 

B-Ranma: Fighting Blind (Koga) 

Ranma: Ranma 1/2 

**

Chapter 9 

**

Part 2 

Making an Impression 

"Class, I would like to introduce four new students to Furinkan High. Here we have..." The teacher looked at the similar Ranmas standing at the front of the school and became puzzled. "Uh, this must be a mistake! You wouldn't happen to all be Ranma Saotome?" 

"No." Kojiro said with a bit of irritation. "I'm Kojiro Shinkara. I'm only Ranma's cousin." 

"I'm Koga Saotome." B-Ranma replied. "I'm also his cousin." 

"Call me Draco Saotome, cousin number three." 

"And I'm Ashura Saotome, though you can call me Ash." 

"I see." The teacher looked down at the paper, then shrugged as he put it away. He then gestured to the four. "Well, even though you all came in late, it seems that I have a note here from the vice-principal, saying that you are not to be punished for today. So please take those four seats over there." He gestured to four empty desks near where Ukyo and Ranma were sitting. A little further back, Akane was giving the four an irritated glare. 

The four Ranmas smiled as they realized that T-Ranma had come through for them in getting them exempt from standing out into the hall. They walked over to the empty desks, drawing stares from everyone in the classroom. Many of the students were especially interested on what was perched on P-Ranma's shoulder. 

The teacher pointed to the Pikachu and said, "Ash Saotome. I'm afraid that pets are not allowed in this school." 

Trainer looked to his shoulder and then said, "No problem." He then set Raiden in front of him on the desk and took out his Pokéball. 

"Pika!" Raiden shook his head. He did not want to be put into a Pokéball. 

P-Ranma winked at him and then looked down at the pendant. Raiden then understood what his master was indicating and nodded. Without touching the activation switch of the Pokéball, the Pokémon trainer then said, "Raiden, return!" 

Raiden tapped the pendant and winked out of sight while briefly flaring his aura. 

To the others who observed the sight, to them it seemed that the Pikachu had been sucked into the Pokéball. 

"Cool!" 

"Just like in the anime!" 

"Pokémon are real!" 

P-Ranma smiled as he felt the invisible rodent ascend his arm and then perched on his shoulder. He then glanced back at the teacher and said, "Is that better?" 

The teacher had his mouth wide open for a long time before shaking his head to clear it. "Er, yes that will be fine." 

Akane then snorted at P-Ranma. _Hmpf! Showoff!_

Lunch time... 

It didn't take long for the dimensional Ranmas to become the talk of the school as their very presence started stirring up a lot of gossip. The native Ranma was besieged with questions about his so-called cousins and he found himself becoming very uneasy at how his counterparts were drawing attention. Nabiki on the other hand, was having a field day with charging eager girls with information about the otherworldly Ranmas as well as orders for photos. She had already made quite a bundle in the last hour and there would certainly be more to come. Having one Ranma was a considerable income generator, but having five more was a veritable gold mine! 

Many girls were at present crowded around a tree as B-Ranma casually lay back on a branch and played his flute. Every girl had a dreamy look on her as they listened in on B-Ranma's instrument The music that he played was unlike anything they had ever heard before as the blind fighter put forth a melody that was both romantic and moving. The empathic Unseen Light fighter had drawn a sizeable crowd and in the rear, one of Nabiki's flunkies was eagerly recording Koga's impromptu concert with a tape recorder. She had already gotten dozens of orders for copies of tape and was planning to contact a couple of recording studios. 

Trainer was entertaining the crowds with his Pokémon as he and Draco displayed their skills. The crowds were awestruck at the appearance of what they thought were creatures of an anime. The dragon warrior's demonstrations of magic were also a treat. 

Nearby on a bench, Ukyo was feeding Kojiro some of her okonomiyaki while constantly asking him questions about her counterpart in his world. 

"Mmmm. This is great. Just like Ucchan's back home! I haven`t had okonomiyaki since I met my other selves." Kojiro was ravenously biting into the Japanese pizza. 

"So Ran-chan, what's she like? I mean the Ukyo in your world." 

The Cat Fist fighter chewed for a moment before swallowing. "First off Ukyo, don't ever call me Ran-chan or Ranma. I really HATE that name. The name is Kojiro, okay?" 

Ukyo was a bit surprised at the slight anger in his tone, but nodded. "Uh, sorry Kojiro. Force of habit. You look so much like my Ranma that it slipped out." 

"That's okay. Anyway, the Ukyo in my world is a lot like you. What am I saying? Basically she IS you. The big difference is that she's my kohlinshor." 

"Kohlinshor? That word means fiance, right?" 

Kojiro nodded. "You see, I became the kohlinjar or enforcer of the Felinar Clan. That's the people who use the Neko Ken. As a result, I was obligated to take two mates." 

"Two?" 

"Yep. One girl had to be someone that had been born in the clan. She supposed to be the kohlinnor or 'inner fianc‚e.' The other girl had to be someone from the outside. That was the Ukyo in my world. She's my kohlinshor or 'outer fianc‚e.' After a year, if we're still together, the two girls become my kohlinnar and kohlinshar, respectively." 

"And... she doesn't mind? My other self I mean." 

"Well... she hasn't had to deal with it, since I haven't chosen my kohlinnor yet. I'm still a little nervous about the whole thing, but Bast is helping her in getting used to the idea of having a co-wife." 

"Bast?" 

"She's a cat goddess and the one who helped me overcome the Neko Ken madness." 

"Excuse me? Did you say goddess?" 

"Yep. In fact, Bastet (Bast for short), was the one who had taken part in creating the Neko Ken in the first place. She also explained about the laws of the Felinar. I was kind of shocked to hear that I had to marry two girls, but unlike your Ranma, I got the chance to choose. And let me tell you this. Out of all the girls I had to choose to be my kohlinshor, you would always be the number one choice for me. Your Ranma doesn't know how good he's got it to have you for a fianc‚e." 

Ukyo blushed when she heard this compliment and wondered how she could get her Ranma to think like Kojiro. This Ranma had his head screwed on right, but the native one never seemed to treat her more than just as an old childhood friend. Perhaps she could get some insight from the Cat Fist fighter on how to get Ranma's attention. 

"So how's your Ukyo like me and how is she different?" 

"Well, she looks exactly like you and she cooks okonomiyaki just like you do as well. Unfortunately, from what I've seen of Ranma's life... you also have the same problems as my Ucchan." 

"What do you mean?" 

Kojiro paused to think about it, then replied. "Well, mind you... Prototype, (that's the guy who's calling himself Tekno), scanned this dimension when we came here, including what Ranma had experienced so far. Now, he has only given us a brief outline of Ranma's life up to this point. Now I know that your Ranma hasn't had all the breaks that we have had, but there are some problems he really should have settled a long time ago and I'm afraid that you're a part of those troubles." 

"What do you mean? I'm Ran-chan's `cute' fianc‚e!" 

Kojiro held up a hand. "Hey, I'm not arguing with that. Genma was the one who took your family's yattai in which your Dad offered as a dowry, so technically speaking, he accepted the engagement between you and Ranma. That pretty much canceled out the promise he made to Akane's father, doesn't it? But let me ask you something. Do you really want to marry Ranma because of that promise or because you love him?" 

"W-What?! L-Love him?" Ukyo became nervous at being asked such a personal question from Ranma. "Well... er, I..." She began to twiddle with her index fingers. 

Kojiro shrugged as he finished off the okonomiyaki. "MY Ukyo is 100% sure of what she wants, and she's even willing to share me with another girl because she truly does love me. She accepts me for what I am, Felinar powers, weird customs and all. She couldn't care less about the yattai, and she was willing to start over with me, even after she had deduced my real identity. The Akane in my dimension calls me a freak and blames me for that ugly facial scar she has now." 

"Facial scar?" 

"It's a long story. But the main thing is that like you, Ukyo used to remind me about the engagement constantly, but she later learned to back off and give me some space. That's what I think you should do. One of the reasons why your Ranma can't make a choice is because of all the pressure he's been getting. You haven't been helping matters by always saying that he's your fianc‚e and treating him like a prize. I can tell that he doesn't like to be treated like an object. He's got enough pressure from Genma, Akane's father, Shampoo, Cologne and all the other crap he has in life. He doesn't need more. What he really needs is someone to understand him. He really needs someone who wants to be his friend. He doesn't have that many you know." 

"I'm his friend! I've known him since we were six!" 

"Yes, but now you're one of his fianc‚es and that puts him into a bind, doesn't it? He can't think of you of anything else but that old buddy that he knew so long ago. With you always reminding him of the engagement and trying to make him see you as a potential wife, the only thing you are doing is forcing him into a bad situation in which he doesn't want to make a choice. If he`s anything like me, he`d rather not choose because he doesn`t want to hurt anyone." 

Ukyo silently digested this information for a moment before nodding. "So what can I do?" 

"Well, I don't have the perfect solution, but the advice that I can give you is that Ranma needs people who understand him and are willing to give him a chance. Akane sure as heck isn't doing a good job, since she'll always jump to conclusions, get angry at the slightest hint, always assume that everything that goes wrong is Ranma's fault, even when it isn't and even when Ranma isn't calling her names and is actually nice to her, she looks at him as if he's sick or something. She says that she doesn't want him around, yet she gets mad and pounds him every times he's with you, Shampoo or someone else." 

"You got that right." Ukyo affirmed. 

"Yes, well I guess I may be biased as I'm using the experiences I had with Akane in my world and from what I've seen of your Ranma's life." Kojiro leaned back with his hands behind his head. "But then again, Ranma does go out of his way to defend Akane whenever she's in trouble and does try to get along with her." 

"I can never understand why he stays with her, especially after all the abuse he's taken!" Ukyo said with a bit of anger in her tone, which she quickly smothered. 

"Actually, I think I know why." 

"What do you mean?" 

Kojiro took a deep breath. "Well, of the five of us, me and Trainer are the ones who had lives that were close to what Ranma experienced before he came to Nerima. The main difference is that we left Genma after Jusenkyo. The thing is, we remember what it had been like training for a decade with nobody, but that idiot future panda for company. It was really lonely out there. We were always on the move, never staying in one place for too long. Always on the run from the certain people for whatever Pop stole or promised, using his son as collateral. Of course, you know exactly what I mean." 

Ukyo nodded. She did indeed. 

"Well, we saw what had happened when Ranma arrived at the Tendo dojo. It was raining at the time and the Tendos didn't know that Ranma was cursed to be a girl with cold water. Soun fainted when he thought that Ranma was a girl and that the pledge couldn't be fulfilled. Nabiki wasn't being supportive and going on about how Ranma wasn't at all what she expected. The only person who was friendly to her was Akane and Ranma being as lonely as he was, latched onto her as a potential friend. Now, in that case, I can understand him, since I remember how lonely I was. However, when the truth came out, and in a very embarrassing situation, Akane turned on him and blamed him for it, never mind that it was actually HER fault." 

"What happened?" 

"I'm surprised that you're asking me. I assumed that Ranma had told you. In any case, Ranma went to take a bath after easily beating Akane in a match and then she walked in on him to take a bath herself." 

"Hot water!" Ukyo exclaimed. 

"You bet! He had put up the occupied sign, but Akane naturally assumed that it was all right, since she thought that Ranma was a girl. Things got even worse from that point on, including Kasumi and Nabiki foisting Ranma off on Akane as Ranma's fianc‚e and more name-calling and stuff like that. From what I gather, your Ranma is severely lacking in social skills, especially tact. Probably got it from Genma. Yet another reason why he would have been better off without him." 

Ukyo nodded. "But I still don't understand what any of this has to do with the reason why Ranma defends her all the time." 

"Well, if I were to hazard a guess, it's because of that one time in which she was nice to him when she thought he was a girl. He was so desperate for company at that time, so I guess that he even sees Akane's abuse as a form of attention. I'm thinking that he feels obligated to her, never mind that she hasn't been treating him very well since then." 

"So what can I do to make him notice me more?" 

"Well, like I said before, I don't have the perfect solution, but I can tell you this. Ranma needs a friend at the moment, more than he needs a fianc‚e. He needs someone to actually believe in him and listen to what he has to say, without trying to force something onto him. I'd say that you're the best bet to be that person. You were his best buddy back when you were both six and now is the time for you to renew that friendship." 

"But we're engaged and..." 

"He knows that and you know that, so why bother reminding him every time? It hasn't done you any good in the past, now has it?" 

Ukyo slowly shook her head. 

"Right. There's no arguing your claim, since it is valid, so what's the point of always reminding him of it? It's making him uncomfortable. What I'm suggesting to you is to follow MY Ucchan's example. Don't pressure him. He's got enough pressure as of now. Show him that you are the best choice by listening to him and give him the benefit of the doubt. If you can do that, then you'll already be higher than Akane, since she never listens to him, nor trusts him. He already likes you and there's an old saying. Before you can love a person, you have to like her. Be the friend that he needs, because being a friend is one of the best platforms to being something more. Once you`ve gotten around that, then you can work up from there, right?" 

Ukyo nodded again as the bell rang. 

"Well, I guess we'd better get back to class. One last thing though, Ucchan. If you truly want Ranma, then you'll consider what I told you. If you're only after him because of that promise ten years ago, then perhaps it would be best if you were to find someone else." 

"But... who else could I...?" Ukyo then looked at Kojiro, but the Neko Ken fighter held up a hand. 

"Don't even THINK about it. I like you, but there's already an Ucchan waiting for me back home. The reason why I'm giving you this advice is because I think you deserve to be happy after everything that you had to endure for ten years." 

Ukyo gave Kojiro an embarrassed smile and said, "Well, I can always dream." 

Kojiro patted her on the shoulder as he went off to his afternoon clases. Ukyo remained for a while, wistfully watching the Neko Ken martial artist as he left. No doubt about it. Kojiro had left her with quite an impression and had her wishing that her Ran-chan could be like him. She then began considering his suggestions. 

Later on that day... 

"Well, that wasn't too bad for the first day." Prototype commented as he and his counterparts walked home. 

"Aside from a minor, yet constant nuisance." B-Ranma commented. 

Flashback... 

"Ranma Saotome! Prepare to taste the wrath of... urk!" 

Kuno found himself immobile. In less than an instant, his skeletal muscles were paralyzed as B-Ranma used a series of pressure points and the Chestnut technique. 

_Bad enough that I'm bothered by Kuno in my world. This idiot can't even tell the difference between me and the native one. I'm taller, more muscular and I wear my hair different._

"Wrong guy, you dope! I'm Koga, not Ranma!" 

"It matters not whom I smite! A copy of the foul sorcerer or the genuine article! They shall all fall beneath the noble blade of... ack!" 

"Oh shut up! Hearing your voice all the time is punishment enough for my ears!" 

B-Ranma then walked away after paralyzing Kuno's larynx for an hour. 

End of flashback... 

"You got attacked by Kuno too?" Kojiro asked. 

Flashback... 

"Prepare to meet your end Ranma Saotome!" 

SLASH! 

Kuno halted and wondered why it was so drafty. He looked down and saw that his robes was now in tatters on the ground and he was only clad in his boxers. His sword had been reduced to kindling and Kojiro simply walked away from the dumbfounded wannabe samurai. 

"Don't EVER call me Ranma. The name's Kojiro Shinkara. Call me Ranma again and I'll cut out your spleen and shove it down your throat!" Kojiro growled. 

End of flashback... 

"What is WITH that guy?" Draco asked. 

"Did he go after you as well?" B-Ranma inquired. 

D-Ranma nodded as he began relating his encounter. 

Flashback... 

"Now prepare to die, you foul copy of the sorcerer!" 

"DRAGON FIRE!" 

Kuno went off screaming as he tried to find something to douse his burning hair. 

End of flashback... 

`That guy just didn't know when to quit." P-Ranma said. 

"You too?" The others asked simultaneously. 

"Pika!" 

Flashback... 

"You sorcery will not work on me THIS time! Feel my steel!" 

P-Ranma looked over his shoulder and saw Kuno charging at him. He noted that Kuno was wearing actual samurai-style armor with METALLIC plates and helmet. He was also waving around a STEEL katana. Bad mistake. 

"Raiden..." 

"Pika... CHU!" 

ZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPP!!!!! 

Anyone like their Kuno extra crispy? 

End of flashback... 

"How about you Prototype?" Draco asked. 

"Well, Kuno doesn't seem to have any respect for his teachers, just like back home." 

Flashback... 

T-Ranma smiled at the class as he began introducing himself. He noted that all the female students were showing dreamy expressions as they gazed on his well-built form. 

"Hello class. I'm Tekno Saotome. I'll be your history teacher and..." 

"What ridiculous jest is this?" 

T-Ranma glared at Kuno, who was standing up from his desk in disbelief. 

"Do you have something important to tell the class, Kuno?" 

"I shall not acknowledge a mere peasant such as yourself as my teacher! I am far above that knave Ranma Saotome and all of his so-called `cousins!' Be gone foul copy of the demon!" 

Kuno charged while taking out a bokken, but T-Ranma simply disarmed him with a flick of his wrist, then hooked his baby finger around Kuno's. Using a Galforian Digit Fighting maneuver, the nanotech martial artist nonchalantly tossed the insane kendoist out of the classroom. Kuno slammed headfirst into the wall of the hallway and was out cold. 

"Go stand, (or in your case), LIE in the hall, Kuno!" He called out to the sprawled form of Kuno before turning back to the class and addressing the students. "I will not tolerate any disruptions in my class. Is that CLEAR?" 

After seeing Kuno get defeated by T-Ranma's baby finger, the students straightened up in their seats and all said in unison, "HAI SENSEI!" 

End of flashback... 

"Man! That guy is totally screwed up! Am I glad that I don't have to worry about him in the Pokémon World." P-Ranma commented. 

"Pika!" Raiden agreed as he and his master had enough loonies in Team Rocket after them, without someone like Tatewaki always attacking. 

"You know," T-Ranma began. "Once the ship is fully operational, I CAN send you back to the world you came from and..." 

"NO WAY!" Trainer shook his head. "If THIS is what's waiting for me back home, then you can just forget it. I like my life the way it is now!" 

"Chu!" Raiden agreed wholeheartedly. 

"Suit yourself." Prototype said as he shrugged his shoulders, then suddenly stopped walking. 

"What's the matter?" Draco asked as he and the others also stopped walking. 

T-Ranma cocked his head to one side, then shrugged again as he replied. "Oh, it's nothing. I just received a transmission from my ship. Somebody just tried to break into it. Don`t worry, he didn`t get in." 

This information alarmed the other Ranmas. B-Ranma then asked the obvious question. "So who was it? Genma?" 

"Yep." T-Ranma affirmed. "I told him and the Tendos to stay clear of it, but I guess that greedy panda was just too stupid to heed my warning about the auto-defense systems. The only person I know who could get past those security measures is Washu." 

Some time ago... 

Genma was quietly sneaking toward the empty lot where the ship was parked and cloaked. After waiting for the six Ranmas to leave for school and making certain that no one was around, Genma decided that now was the perfect opportunity to see what was in that craft. He reasoned that there must be lots of technological goodies and who knows what other treasures inside, just waiting to be sold for billions of yen. He knew that the ship was a gold mine and he aimed to milk it for all that it was worth. He had been trained by Happosai after all, and there were no security measures or locks that he couldn't get past. As the creator of both the techniques of the Noisy and Silent Thief, the contents of that ship were as good as his! With this in mind, he had (ahem) `borrowed' a few tools from the neighbors to help him break into the craft. 

He slowly crept up and then felt about the empty space where he remembered where the main hatch of the ship was located. When he felt the hard metal hull, he then hefted a sledgehammer and then took a mighty swing at it. 

Unfortunately for the greedy martial artist, the ship didn't react too kindly to his pathetic attempts to gain access. Over the years, the ship's computer had been forming a rudimentary, artificial intelligence from its many interfaces with the nanites in Prototype`s body. A personality patterned after its master had begun to form and along with the AI, it began to develop a sense of humor. 

T-Ranma had instructed the computer to use whatever measures required to protect itself from unauthorized intruders. Anything was permitted, save for lethal measures unless it was absolutely necessary. After evaluating the physical and mental capabilities of Genma Saotome, the computer decided that a painful demonstration of its defense system was in order. 

(*Subject Genma Saotome is attempting to breach the outer hull with a sledgehammer. You're kidding, right? Activating microwave tazer field.*) 

ZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPP! 

"YEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!" 

As soon as the hammer's head hit the hull, Genma lit up like a Christmas tree and briefly showed his skeleton before being thrown back a dozen feet, as a huge energy field sprang up and gave him a massive shock. The father of Ranma Saotome was smoking a bit as he found himself flat on his back. He shook his head to clear it and got right back up. He then saw that a pile of ash was all that was left of the sledgehammer. 

Now a normal, 'sensible' person would have gotten the message and left the ship alone. However, the greedy disciple of Happosai was anything, but sensible. Undaunted, the stupid Genma decided on a different approach as he picked up a drill and approached the ship again. 

(*Subject is now planning to utilize a drill to breach the hull. He has GOT to be kidding! Apparently, the tazer field by itself has proven inadequate in persuading Genma to abandon his futile quest to break into the ship. Time to use stronger methods.*) 

Genma was about a dozen feet away, when a laser bolt shot out from a hidden gun port and vaporized the tool in his hand. This startled the martial artist and that was when the computer extended the range of its tazer field and zapped Genma again. This time, at double the voltage! 

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!" 

By this time, Genma was a little more wary as he picked himself off the ground again and looked to where the ship was. At this time, his body was giving off small sparks and he had several impressive burns. He decided on a different approach and moved to the back of the craft, where he believed that there might be a rear entrance for him to get through. There was, but there was also the fact that the main thrusters were located in the stern. 

(*Subject is STILL intent on gaining access. Intelligence quotient comparable to that of Dromaxian Primate. Correction, it is lower. Time to test fire main thrusters.*) 

Genma wondered where that quiet whine was coming from when he saw an area of white light suddenly appear. beside him and then... 

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!" 

Genma was sprawled on his back, red and charred with huge wisps of smoke rising up from his body and his face had a glazed look on it. It was clear to anyone who had seen that comedy of errors, that Genma wasn't getting up any time soon. 

The computer had only fired the engines at a very miniscule fraction of their full power. It wasn't much, but it had given Genma the granddaddy of all sunburns. And eventually, his eyebrows WOULD grow back. 

(*Threat to ship security, though extremely nil, has been neutralized.*) 

Present time... 

"Don't worry about it guys. Genma didn't even scratch the paint." T-Ranma affirmed as he and his counterparts continued to walk back to the Tendo home. 

When they reached an intersection near the Tendo compound, B-Ranma decided to turn and head in another direction. 

"Yo, Koga! Where are you going? The Tendo place is this way." P-Ranma called out. 

B-Ranma called back to his counterparts. "Go on ahead. I'll be home in a little while. I just want to visit Shampoo and her great-grandmother. She told me last night that she and Elder Cologne lived in a restaurant near here, and I thought I'd check up on them. I'll get back with you guys later." 

"You know where this restaurant is?" Tekno asked. 

"Yeah. I don't need any help in finding it. Catch you guys later." The blind martial artist then leapt up to a nearby rooftop and then began bounding away. 

The others watched as the Unseen Light fighter depart, then shrugged as they continued home. 

A few minutes later, on top of a roof that was across the street from the Nekohanten... 

_So this is it? Hmmm, it's located at the same place where Pepper's Place is in my world. Let's see..._ The sightless Ranma began focusing his extraordinary senses toward the inside of the building and noted the familiar ki signatures within. _Hmmm, must be the slow part of the day. No one there except two people. Ah, there's cousin Shampoo. Whoops! I mean the native Shampoo. I can sense some faint impressions of Mousse, but he's not in the building at the moment. Probably out on a delivery or something. Ahhh... the kitchen. Now there's a familiar ki signature that I haven't sensed in a while._

Inside the Nekohanten's kitchen, the aged matriarch suddenly stopped cooking the pickup order as her own senses began to alert her that someone was probing in her vicinity. She began using her considerable talents and tried to discern who was scanning her. She was very impressed with the subtle ki control this person displayed. She had more than 300 hundred years of martial arts training under her belt and she had almost missed it! The ki was sharpened to a state of near-perfection, at a level far beyond her own and the other Elders of the village. Whoever this person was, he or she was true ki master. 

Her eyes opened wide as she finally recognized the ki signature. _Son-in-law? Is that him?_ It didn't make any sense to Cologne. Though Ranma had developed substantial control over his ki, it wasn't anywhere near the level she was sensing now. Ranma could use his ki to augment his physical abilities and project it by using his feelings of confidence. The ki she was sensing at the moment was serene and pure. It was so incredibly focused that it would have taken a normal person centuries to develop. 

It was then that she heard Shampoo cry out in joy as someone entered the restaurant. 

"AIREN!" 

The Elder looked out from the kitchen and saw her great-granddaughter rush up and glomp Ranma as he walked through the door. To her surprise, Ranma did not push her away as he usually did, but instead returned the embrace and swung her around a couple of times before setting her back down on her feet. It was at that moment that Cologne noticed that Ranma was taller and sported a far more developed physique than she remembered, the last time she had seen him. Then, a new surprise came. He spoke to Shampoo in flawless Mandarin, Amazon dialect. 

["It's good to see you again cousin, but I'm not your husband. I'm Koga, remember?"] 

Shampoo released her hold on Ranma as she realized that she had glomped the Amazon version of her Airen, and stepped back in slight embarrassment, though very reluctantly. She had enjoyed pressing up against his well-muscled form. ["Sorry about that. It's just that you look so much like him."] 

["That's all right. Is Elder Cologne busy? I'd like to speak with her."] 

["Oh! That's right! You haven't met great-grandmother yet."] Shampoo turned to call for her relative. ["Great-grandmother!"] 

By this time, Cologne had exited the kitchen and was balancing on her cane in front of them. "Welcome back, Son-in-law. So what brings you here? And when did you learn to speak our language so fluently?" 

Koga smiled as he bowed his head to her and knelt down on one knee. He placed his right arm across his chest and placed the hand over his heart, while held out his left hand toward her with the palm up. ["Elder Cologne... you honor me with your presence."] 

At that moment, Cologne thought she had died and gone to heaven. Ranma had just given her the ancient Amazon greeting that a member of the village gave to the Elder that he or she respected the most. The last recorded time that a male ever did that before an Elder was more than seven hundred years ago. Since then, most males were usually too intimidated or broken to show the proper respect. 

Ranma continued to hold out his hand to her, and Cologne realized that he was waiting for her to complete the ritual. She was bit puzzled and confused as she looked to her great-granddaughter for answers. Shampoo could only smile sheepishly and shrug as she nodded to her relative to acknowledge him. 

Cologne looked back down at the person kneeling before her and sensed nothing but total sincerity from him. She decided to reward such a grand display of respect. She hopped down from her staff and then placed a hand over his and patted it three times, thereby signaling that she accepted his greeting and that he may rise. 

Koga smiled as he got his feet and gave her a polite bow. ["I thank you, Honored Elder Cologne."] 

_Honored Elder Cologne? Not `Old Ghoul?' Now there's a first!_ ["Er... you're... welcome... Son-in-law. But... why do you call me that? Not that I'm complaining, but... you're usually quite rude."] 

B-Ranma smirked as he motioned for the two of them to sit down at a nearby table. 

Some time later... 

"So, Shampoo wasn't pulling an old woman's leg when she told me about five other Ranmas last night. So you are from an alternate world in which you were raised in our Amazon tribe?" 

Koga nodded as he took a sip of the tea that Shampoo had prepared for them. "Yes. I was adopted by Jasmine when I was eight. She raised me as her own son and took me on as a apprentice village healer." 

"Jasmine?" Cologne remarked with surprise. "That is a name in which I haven't heard of in over twenty years." 

"Jasmine was Shampoo's aunt, yes?" The purple haired girl asked. 

"Yes child. However, she and her husband died during an attack from the Musk four years before you were born. She was exceptionally talented in shiatsu and herbal medicine. She had a promising future as a village healer. Such a terrible waste." 

"Oh." B-Ranma became saddened to learn that the counterpart to his adopted mother had not survived in this world. He then took a deep breath and continued his discussion with the Amazons. "In any case, Jasmine and the Cologne in my world were acquainted with a practitioner of the Unseen Light. Master Koga helped me overcome the blindness that the Neko Ken training had caused and it also serves me well in the healing arts." 

"Unseen Light? Now that's a fighting style that I've never heard of before." 

"I'm not surprised that you've never heard of it. If you've never heard of Master Koga or Master Shogo, then I suppose that the fighting style doesn't exist in this world. It is a martial arts discipline that was created by a group of blind Zen monks thousands of years ago, and I'm the last practitioner of that ancient discipline." 

"So you are truly... blind?" Cologne asked. 

"I prefer to be called physically challenged, but yes, I am sightless. However, I am far from helpless. I sparred with Ranma this morning and I defeated him, though I must admit, you've trained him well. Although he could still improve and his techniques are somewhat sloppy. He also has a tendency to underestimate his opponents and could stand to be less cocky in a fight. He has great potential, yet he does suffer from impatience. Probably got that from staying with Genma." 

"How did you know that I trained him?" Cologne inquired with interest. 

"I sensed your handiwork in the way he tried to use the Chestnut Fist on me during our match. I countered with my own." 

"Excuse me? You SENSED it? And you can DO the Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire technique?" 

"Yes. My senses are very extensive and I felt the faint impressions of your own training imprinted on him. And as for the technique, yes I have mastered it, among other things." Koga decided to demonstrate by making a sweeping gesture and his silver flute appeared in his hand. Placing it on the table, he then made several daggers appear, followed by a dozen shurikens and then a few of his medicinal supplies. After placing them all in a small pile on the table, he then made another sweeping gesture and made them all seemingly vanish. 

"Aiyah! He knows how to do Hidden Weapons like Mousse!" Shampoo remarked. 

Koga nodded. "Yes, I find his techniques very useful in carrying my supplies and some extra weapons. Unlike your Ranma, I do understand the value of weapons for their extended reach and added protection. However, I am just proficient in unarmed combat. Like the old Amazon saying goes, use all weapons, but trust in none." 

"Very true. I must say that I AM impressed, Son-in-law." Cologne said with a smile and a slight glint in her eye. 

B-Ranma nodded, but held up a hand. "Thank you Elder, but I would prefer if you were to call me Koga. Though my real name is Ranma, I had decided to use my mentor's name of Koga while I am here, to avoid confusion with your Ranma. Technically speaking, I am not your son-in-law. Truth be told, since I am Jasmine's son, though adopted, and since she was one of your granddaughters, I suppose that would make you MY great-grandmother as well, wouldn't it?" 

Cologne gave B-Ranma a smile and sighed as she reluctantly nodded. "I suppose it does, if you look at it that way." The aged Amazon was very impressed with this version of her future son-in-law. He was polite, respectful, and from what her own senses were telling her, extremely talented. He was a warrior of vast skills and from what she saw of the medicinal supplies he had brought out, an accomplished healer as well. He was well-versed in their ways, their history and their laws. The boy was practically a member of the tribe, and in his world, he was! He was tall, strong, and very handsome. And the fact that he was blind made him seem even more impressive. 

To think that he had become so skilled with such a handicap! 

_Now why couldn't Son-in-law be like him? The tribe would greatly benefit from having this one._ That got Cologne to thinking. Why not add this one to the tribe as well as Ranma? She deiced to table those thoughts for later as B-Ranma slowly got up from his seat and bowed to her and Shampoo. 

"Forgive me Elder. Though I have enjoyed speaking with you, I must be going now. Before I leave... would you allow me to... see you?" Ranma held up a hand in front of Cologne's face. 

Cologne realized that B-Ranma wished to feel her face with his fingertips and gave him permission. She closed her eyes as Koga's fingertips lightly traced over her wrinkled cheeks, forehead, nose and mouth. 

B-Ranma smiled as his fingertips told him of her appearance. "Ah. You look just like the Cologne in my world. Thank you Elder." 

"Do you have to leave?" Cologne asked with a bit of disappointment. She had been thinking of arranging a kind of match between Koga and Shampoo. "I had hoped that perhaps you would give us more of a demonstration of your skills. Perhaps a quick sparring match with Shampoo here? I would like to see how you match up against Son-in-law's abilities." 

"I'm afraid that I must be going and it's getting late. " B-Ranma affirmed as he finished off the tea and then started to walk toward the front door. Shampoo and Cologne got up to follow him. When they came out of the Nekohanten, the Unseen Light fighter turned to bow respectfully to Cologne, then warmly embraced Shampoo. ["Though you aren't MY Shampoo and Cologne, it was still good to meet you again."] 

It was at that moment that a certain lost boy came upon the scene and saw what he thought was Ranma hugging another girl. 

"RANMA! HOW DARE YOU CHEAT ON AKANE?! PREPARE TO DIE!" 

Koga had long since sensed Ryoga's approach as he gently pushed Shampoo out of the way and then dodged the flying kick that was aimed at his head. As Ryoga flew by, the sightless Amazon got into a ready stance and smirked at the native version of his rival. 

Shampoo went over to her great-grandmother and asked her if they should help their fellow tribe member. 

Cologne shook her head and replied. "No child, I believe that Son-in... I mean, Koga is quite capable of taking care of himself. I had wanted to see this Ranma in action, and now it seems that I have the opportunity. Just stand back and watch." 

B-Ranma smirked as he casually dodged or blocked Ryoga's wild punches. With his sixth and seventh senses, it was too easy to anticipate each of Hibiki's attacks. 

"Oh, what do you want Ryoga?" 

"You cad! How dare you put yourself in another woman's arms?! You pig!" 

"Hmpf! What I do is none of your business. And don't you call me a pig, P-chan." B-Ranma was already aware of the native Ryoga's curse from T-Ranma's scan of Ranma's life. He could also sense the energies of Jusenkyo within Ryoga. 

"Don't call me P-chan!" Ryoga raged as he threw another series of punches. 

As they fought, the blind Ranma began assessing his opponent's fighting style. _Hmmm, he fights pretty much the same as the Ryoga in my world. He relies mostly on power blows and brute force. Defense is less than stellar._ Koga threw a few practice blows into Ryoga's midsection, which the lost boy made no effort in dodging or blocking. He was mildly surprised to find that his opponent withstood the impacts with ease. _Well, well, well... looks like somebody went through the Breaking Point training. Well, I know a way around that!_

Ryoga sneered at Ranma as he launched a haymaker at B-Ranma's chin. "HAH! You still hit like a baby!" 

Koga decided to let that blow connect. However, to Ryoga's surprise, it had felt as if he had slammed his fist into a steel wall! He winced as his fist connected with B-Ranma's jaw and then he doubled over when the person he thought was Ranma landed a hard knee to his stomach. As Ryoga backpedaled from the blow, Koga simply launched a triple combination of fast, but hard jabs to Ryoga's face, then another blow to his gut. 

Ryoga's breath whooshed out as he actually FELT the impacts. What was going on? Since when could Ranma hit THAT hard? And he shrugged off a blow that usually cracked through concrete. 

Unknown to the native Ryoga, this version of Ranma had been raised by the Amazons and had gone through more extensive endurance training than Hibiki. This included regular bouts with the giantess Dowel. Furthermore, he could also hit a LOT harder than the native Ranma could. Coupled with his extraordinary speed and senses, the native Ryoga was seriously outclassed. 

B-Ranma snorted as yet another blow got through Ryoga's woeful defense. "You're not the only one who's gone through high-endurance training Ryoga. The Bakusai Tenketsu may make you resistant to hits, but it doesn't make you totally invulnerable. It looks like you rely too much on it for protection. Well, let's see how well you do without it!" 

The Unseen Light fighter then lashed out with his Chestnut technique, striking specific shiatsu points on Ryoga's upper body. He then stepped back a few feet and smiled. 

Ryoga sneered again at Ranma. "Hah! What a lame attack! I didn't feel a thing!" 

"Oh really? Well how about this one?" B-Ranma then casually landed a glancing bow on Ryoga's jaw. 

Ryoga staggered back as pain suddenly flared where B-Ranma's fist had hit. This took him completely by surprise as his opponent then began landing relatively light punches on his upper torso and with each impact, his body screamed out in agony! 

_OW! What's going on?! YOW! That hurt! I thought... OUCH! He's not even hitting me hard and... YOW!_

B-Ranma smirked as he landed another series of light punches. "What's the matter Ryoga? Not USED to feeling pain again?" 

The lost boy howled out in anger, then tried for the suicidal lunge forward. However, B-Ranma easily avoided the attack, then lashed out with a semi-hard kick into Ryoga's side. The lost boy was sent crashing into a nearby wall and then slumped down into unconsciousness. 

B-Ranma simply dusted himself off, then made a casual comment as Cologne and Shampoo came to up to him "Well, that was easy." 

"How you do that?" Shampoo asked. She had seen Ryoga battle her Airen before, and it usually took Ranma a considerable amount of time to defeat his rival. This Ranma had taken out the impossibly strong Ryoga with almost no trouble at all. 

B-Ranma shrugged as he replied. "Oh, I just used a reverse application of the anesthetic pressure points in my healing practices. Instead of deadening the nerve endings toward impacts, I temporarily increased Ryoga's sensitivity to pain." 

"Ah, I see." Cologne said in understanding as she remembered back to when B-Ranma launched his attack against Ryoga's chest. He had targeted specific shiatsu points on his upper torso. "So in other words, you had eliminated the endurance Ryoga had gained during the Breaking Point training." 

"Right. Since he relied too much on that endurance to pull him through, it was child's play to get past his so-called defense and I didn't even have to hit him very hard. Simple really." 

"I must say, that I AM truly impressed Koga. Son-in-law would have taken much longer and used more fancier moves to defeat him, but you had shown both ingenuity and skill." 

"Thank you Elder. Well, it has been quite a day and I must be going, but first..." The blind Amazon then bent down to where Ryoga was still lying on the street and pressed several points on his body with a finger. "There we are. I've undone the shiatsu points I used to make him more sensitive to impacts. Although he will still be aching for days. Serves him right though, attacking me like that! When he awakens, please explain things to him, won't you? Also tell him that he got off easy. I could have done a lot worse to him if I had wanted to." 

"Of course. We shall look after him until he awakens." Cologne affirmed. 

"Thank you Elder. Oh and by the way?" 

"Yes?" 

Koga gave the Elder and endearing smile as he walked toward her, then leaned forward to whisper into her ear. "If you were planning to trap me into a marriage with Shampoo when you suggested that I spar with her, then it wouldn't have worked. Since I am a part of the tribe already, though from another world, law number 46, subsection five would not apply to me. Good evening to you." 

B-Ranma then strolled away, leaving Cologne with a surprised look on her face. 

Later... 

Cologne and Shampoo were currently sitting at a booth, waiting for Mousse to return from his deliveries. Ryoga had been taken upstairs and was resting in the myopic martial artist's room. 

"So Shampoo... what do you think of this... Koga?" 

"Aiyah! He is very nice and Shampoo like a lot! He strong, handsome, smart and very kind!" 

"Yes child. He is very impressive. Now let me ask you a question. How would you feel about marrying him, instead of Ranma?" 

Now ordinarily, Shampoo would have told her great-grandmother that she would marry Ranma and no other, but now she wasn't as sure as she used to be. Koga was indeed a fine specimen and unlike the native Ranma, this one enjoyed her company. Shampoo was silent for a long time as she considered what it might be like with such a husband. 

The Amazon Elder was also deep in thought as she considered adding this Ranma to the tribe. He was certainly a better catch than the native Ranma. Koga was thoughtful, well-mannered, and very sharp-minded, in addition to the fighting skills he had just displayed. The way he moved in battle was sheer poetry. His moves were more refined and efficient, making the native Ranma seem clumsy and wasteful of energy. It was if he knew each of Ryoga's attacks before Ryoga did! He had displayed a mastery in shiatsu, a telltale sign of an expert village healer. A truly perfect catch! Now the real challenge would be how to bring him into the tribe. Koga seemed very aware of his surroundings, despite his lack of eyesight and he had already stated that the Outsider Law would not work on him. Yes, this would require quite a bit of thought and there was still those other Ranmas that Shampoo had told her about. If they proved to be just as promising as this one, then the Amazons may have the golden opportunity to raise themselves to greater glory. B-Ranma alone had already left quite an impression. 

Later at the Tendo home, in the broom closet... 

"Hey Koga! So how'd it go with Shampoo and her great-grandmother?" Draco asked as Koga entered the main hall area. and joined the others. 

"It was great meeting up with Elder Cologne again." Koga replied. 

"That's nice." T-Ranma commented. "However, keep in mind that this Cologne may be different from the one you know of in your world." 

"I know." B-Ranma said. "I remember the scans you showed us. Still, it was great meeting up with someone familiar." 

"I felt the same way when I talked to this world's Ukyo." Kojiro remarked. 

"So what's for dinner?" P-Ranma asked as he let out his Pokémon so they could get some air. 

"Actually," T-Ranma began. "I was thinking that for our second night here, we'd all go out to eat. Maybe check out Tokyo while we're here. My treat of course." 

"Hey that sounds great!" Kojiro said. 

"What about my Pokémon?" Trainer asked. 

"Well, why not give them the night off?" T-Ranma suggested. "You can bring whichever Pokémon you want with you and the rest can stay here to relax. The caretaker robots will tend to their every need." The nanotech Ranma gestured to several small, squat machines which roamed about the complex. He signaled to one of them, which responded by moving toward him. 

The caretaker automation was a metallic half-sphere with two photoreceptors mounted near the top. It was about the size of a small dog. Its appearance resembled that of cartoon ladybug, but instead of legs, its bottom half was flat and it jetted about on small, anti-gravity field generators. A large number four was etched above its photoreceptors. As it stopped before them, the top portion then raised itself from its base on a telescoping column, forming a kind of head and body. Two slender robotic limbs popped out from the column as the machine addressed its master in a cheerful, high-pitched tone. 

"Care-Bot Unit 4 is online. What are your orders, my master?" 

T-Ranma nodded to Unit 4 and replied. "My counterparts and I will be going out for dinner tonight. Trainer will be leaving some of his Pokémon here. You and the other units will tend to their every need until we get back. I also leave the security of this complex to you and the other Care-Bots." 

"Yes sir!" The machine gave them a smart salute, then was about to relay the message to its fellow units, when T-Ranma added some new instructions. 

"Oh yes, I almost forgot, Unit 4. Do you recall those `other' instructions I gave to you and the other Care-Bots, concerning a certain Nabiki Tendo?" 

"Yes, my master. However, subject Nabiki Tendo has not tried to enter this complex as of yet. However, given the scans that you had observed of this person, it is very likely that she will attempt to do so within the near future. Given her personality, probability calculations indicate that she may try to enter tonight after you and the others depart." 

"Make certain that you extend to her all the proper `courtesies' when she comes here, all right?" 

"Yes master. Care-Bot Unit 4 is online." Unit 4 then shrunk back into its more compact shape and zipped away to inform its fellow units of the new instructions. 

Later on... 

Nabiki Tendo smirked after watching the five dimensional Ranmas leave. After waiting for about a half-hour, and making certain that they were not going to come back any time soon, she then made her way toward the broom closet. 

Contrary to popular belief, money wasn't the only concern in the middle Tendo daughter's life. The accumulation of large amounts of yen would become the focal point of her life in later years. However, she also enjoyed her creature comforts, which was the reason why she had her bath things with her. 

Nabiki had not attempted to try and infiltrate the dimensional Ranma's living quarters earlier, after seeing what had happened to Genma when he tried to break into the ship. T-Ranma had not been kidding when he said that the auto-defense systems were none too pleasant. Her father and her two other sisters had taken Genma to Dr. Tofu to tend to the serious burns he received from the ship's thrusters. However, her curiosity and thoughts of avarice had gotten the better of her as she opened the broom closet. She had only seen the main hall of the complex and from what Ranma had told her this morning, it was a veritable palace with rooms that catered to every possible need or want, and then some. Nabiki took a deep breath and stepped into the supposedly small storage space. 

To her pleasant surprise, she found herself in the main lobby of the complex and was awestruck by its splendor. When she had been here the last time, it had still been under construction, but in its finished state, it made the Ritz look like a rundown motel. Elaborate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, lighting the area in a soft glow that wasn't blinding, but allowed for proper illumination. The floors were tiled with a white marble and on the walls hung fantastic murals that were made of various precious metals. 

Nabiki was awestruck by the sheer opulence of the place that she almost tripped over one of the Car-Bots that was busy buffing a section of floor with one of the many devices that was built into its structure. It retracted the device back into itself, then telescoped its head to meet with Nabiki's startled gaze. 

"Care-Bot Unit 3 is online. Visitor is identified as Nabiki Tendo. Welcome." 

"Whoa!" Nabiki backpedaled while dropping her bath things. 

"Do not fear. I am Care-Bot Unit 3. I am one of the many units that is programmed to maintain the order of this complex. The one you know of as Prototype has instructed me and my fellow Care-Bots to extend the proper courtesies to visitors." 

Nabiki gathered her wits about her as she looked up and down at the machine. "You mean... you're some kind of robo-butler?" 

"That is basically my primary function." It then looked down at the scattered bath things and shook its robotic head. "Now, now, we mustn't leave our bath things all willy nilly." In a flash, the Care-Bot extended its robotic arms and picked up all of the bath items. It then zipped away and while saying, "Follow me please." 

A minute later... 

Nabiki's eyes widened as she walked through the door that lead to the `jacuzzi.' The term jacuzzi was in fact an understatement. What she saw was something that long exceeded opulence and went for sheer decadence. The room was about the size of a deluxe bathhouse and had a sunken area complete with its own hot spring. On all four corners were statues of various creatures pouring warm, pure mineral water which gave off a light, pleasant herbal scent. Off to the side were elaborate bath stools, shower stalls and even a sauna. 

The mercenary Tendo sister was awestruck at the sight, that she didn't notice that two more of the Care-Bots had entered the bathing area with towels and a fluffy robe. It was then that Unit 3 tapped her on the shoulder. 

"Nabiki Tendo. Please take off your clothes so that we scrub your back and get you all nice and clean. Your clothes shall be cleaned in the meantime." 

Another few minutes later... 

Nabiki sighed contentedly as she sat naked in the hot water as Unit 2 gently massaged her shoulders. 

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh! There's nothing like a good hot soak and a massage to ease off the tension of a long day. Ooh, a little lower please." 

"Compliance." 

After a half-hour of warm luxury, Nabiki finally emerged from the bath area in a robe behind Units 2 and 3. She smiled warmly at the Care-Bots as thoughts of getting a hold of one of those technological marvels raced though her mind. She could certainly use one those caretaker robots and she knew of many corporations that would pay big yen for the schematics. 

"Say, Unit 2 is it?" 

"Care-Bot Unit 2 is online. What would you like now?" 

"I'd really like a tour of this place, if you don't mind." 

"Very well, please follow me." 

Nabiki was given the same tour as Ranma had this morning and she was very impressed with the recreation and kitchen facilities. She saw that P-Ranma's Rapidash, Golduck and Sandslash were well taken care of. However, as they approached a section of the complex that was labeled restricted, Nabiki knew that she was close to the motherlode. 

"Er, what's behind that door?" 

Unit 2 raised a hand and shook a finger. "No, no, no. That is a restricted area. The main computer system and data files are located there." 

Information! Nabiki's eye glinted. Of all the commodities that were considered valuable, there was nothing more coveted than knowledge. The link to the secrets of T-Ranma's technology! She mentally noted the location of that room as the Care-Bot led her back to the main hall. Unit 4 buzzed by and handed Nabiki her cleaned clothes. 

"Thank you for visiting us Nabiki Tendo." Unit 2 intoned. "The robe is yours to keep. I trust that you can find your way out from here. My fellow units and I must shut down for a while to regenerate our power cores. Once more, I bid you goodbye and come again soon." 

The Care-Bots waited for Nabiki to leave through the dimensional gate before they all went into a state of dormancy. A few minutes later, Nabiki poked her head back through the gate and smiled as she saw that the Care-Bots were indeed shut down. She saw that now was her chance. 

She quietly made her way back to the main computer room and smiled as she saw that one of the Care-Bots had left the door ajar when it had shut down. She stepped over the silent machine and entered the room. However, when she went inside, she found herself standing in an empty chamber. 

She became confused at the seeming nothingness and then began to suspect that this might be a... 

_TRAP!_

SNAP! 

The floor panels opened up and Nabiki found herself inside of a cage that was only tall enough for her to stand in. It was then that the door behind her opened up and three Care-Bots entered the room. 

"Care-Bot Unit 1 is online." 

"Care-Bot Unit 2 is online." 

"Care-Bot Unit 3 is online." 

"What the...? What's going on here?" Nabiki demanded. 

Unit two moved forward and addressed the imprisoned girl. "Nabiki Tendo, when I said for you to come back soon, I did not mean THIS soon. I had hoped that your personality would be different from the all the others versions of yourself, but I see that you could not resist such an opportunity to get a hold of our master's secrets." 

"What are you talking about? Let me out of here!" 

"My master's ship had been recently upgraded to scan alternate versions of your world, and you are following a pattern of behavior that has been seen in over one hundred and twenty-three realities, in which your main goal of obtaining material wealth ended in a self-destructive spiral with no friends and total isolation. Our master would experience 1.23 seconds of regret at this outcome." 

"W-What?!" 

"Fortunately, all is not lost. You can still change and we have been instructed to show you how. This chamber is not the main computer system, but a virtual reality chamber which will allow you to experience the lives of the alternate versions of yourself. Mind you, many of those realities are not very pleasant. Enjoy!" 

"Wait a minute!" 

Meanwhile, in a very fancy and expensive restaurant... 

T-Ranma smiled as he received a mental transmission from his Care-Bots. Right at this moment, Nabiki Tendo was getting quite an impression as she experienced the lives of her alternate selves and how they ended up when they did not change their mercenary ways. He chuckled a bit before returning to his meal. 

To be continued... 

Author's notes 

Well, Nabiki is certainly going to look a things far more differently after she gets out of that room and perhaps back off from blackmailing the canon Ranma. Our five dimensional Ranmas are going to cause more chaos as time goes by, so stay tuned. The idea of Nabiki being shown alternate versions of herself was suggested to me by Gregg Sharp. Thanks Gregg!


	15. Chapter 10

**

The Great Crossover Crisis

**

Disclaimer: Sigh. The things I do to keep my readers entertained. 

: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Prototype, Tekno) 

Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury 

D-Ranma: Dragon Child (Draco) 

P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer, Ash) 

B-Ranma: Fighting Blind (Koga) 

Ranma: Ranma 1/2 

**

Chapter 10 

**

Kasumi's Day Off 

"Man! That was a great meal!" Kojiro said as he rubbed his full stomach. He and the other Ranmas exited the restaurant with satisfied smiles on their faces. With the exception of T-Ranma, the others all shared the same trait of the famous Saotome stomach. They had eaten enough to feed an entire division of marines for a week. Fortunately, T-Ranma had an unlimited bank account. 

"I've got to admit, it's been a long time since we were all been to able to kick back and just relax since this entire trip through dimensions started." Koga commented. 

"By the way, you were a little distracted tonight, Prototype." Trainer remarked. 

"Oh, it was nothing. I just received a transmission from the Care-Bots. Apparently, Nabiki went inside the complex." 

"What? I thought you said that the defensive barrier kept out everyone, but us and Trainer's Pokémon." 

T-Ranma shrugged as he replied. "I left the barrier down to allow her entry. I kind of figured that Nabiki would try to get inside, considering what I had scanned about her and those other realities in which her personality followed that of this native version." 

"Oh?" Koga became interested. 

"Yes, well she's not like the Nabiki Tendo that you described in your world. In fact, she was the cause of many of the native Ranma's problems, particularly Kuno's obsession with the 'pig-tailed girl.' If she hadn't continued to sell photos of Ranma in his girl form to him and actually told him the real truth about the curse, then Ranma wouldn't be having as much trouble as of now. She's quite the mercenary and have been involved in blackmail, extortion, underage pornography, racketeering and several other... questionable activities at her school. However, unlike the Nabiki in Koga's world, she has yet to be shown the error of her ways." 

"You knew all that about her and you still let her in?" Koga asked. 

"Yes, well it's not like I didn't have a few... shall we say, strings attached. I had instructed the Care-Bots to let Nabiki sample some of many pleasures of the complex to lower her guard and set a trap. I gave her some bait that I knew that she would not be able to resist. Right at this moment, she's in the Virtual Reality Chamber (VRC) and is being shown the many realities in which I had scanned when we were traveling through the dimensional vortex. In other words, she's getting a very HARD look at herself." 

"Ooh, nasty!" Kojiro remarked. He remembered seeing a few of those images during their dimension hopping. Those that depicted Nabiki as a money-hungry mercenary had almost always ended up in a bad way. One of the most drastic endings was the scene of Bag Lady Nabiki, eating whatever refuse she could find in a garbage bin. 

"You're not just showing her to all the bad things that might happen if she doesn't change, are you?" Koga asked. Personally, he didn't have anything against Nabiki, but then again, he only knew of the one from his world. 

T-Ranma nodded as he understood the hidden message of his counterpart. "I'm also showing her what good may come to her if she does change her ways. She might treat the Ranma of this world better if she realizes that she's better off with having him as a friend, than as someone to use to make some fast money. Come on guys, let's take a tour of Tokyo before heading back." 

Later on that night... 

A loud groan of pain was heard from the guestroom as a pigtailed martial artist slid open the door and stood for a moment while shaking his head. 

"Stupid old man." Ranma mumbled as he left the room where his father lay. Genma had received numerous, and extremely nasty burns from his attempt to break into Prototype's ship. As of now, the slightest move made his entire body throb with pain. His body was wrapped up like a mummy and he was unable to speak at the moment. 

_Serves the dope right. Prototype said that the ship wasn't going to let anybody in, and after what I've seen him and the other versions of me can do, I believe it!_

It was at that moment that Ranma saw a very unfamiliar sight. It was Nabiki without her usual air of superiority and Ice Queen facade. Gone was that usual mercenary gleam in her eyes and what he now saw in her was nervousness, slightly panicked and a bit of embarrassment as well. She was trembling like a leaf and was quite pale as she exited the broom closet in a bath robe. Ranma had never seen her like this before and wondered what had happened to put the cool and always in control middle Tendo daughter in such a state. 

"Hey Nabiki." 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" 

Nabiki's sudden panicked scream caught Ranma off guard as he backpedaled away and then stumbled backward, landing hard on his butt. He looked up and saw Nabiki and wondered just what had happened to her when she was in that closet. 

She looked as if she had experienced a heart attack and a stroke simultaneously as she leaned against the wall and started gasping for air while clutching at her chest. She hyperventilated for several minutes before finally calming down enough to notice Ranma on the floor. Then she did something that Ranma would have never thought she would do in a million years. She started apologizing. 

"Ranma! I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry! I didn't mean to sell photos of you to Kuno! I didn't mean to charge you all those inflated rates! Please forgive me! I'll cancel out your outstanding debt right away!" 

She then started dashing away toward the stairs to her own room and slammed the door behind her. 

_Man! What's gotten into her?_ Ranma was still on the floor and in a state of confusion when the front door opened and his dimensional selves entered. 

"Hey Ranma, what are you doing on the floor?" Koga asked. 

Ranma could only dumbly point up to Nabiki's room and say, "Uh... Nabiki... that is... I...er..." 

T-Ranma simply smiled. "Well, it seems that Nabiki got the full guest 'treatment' when she went into the complex." 

The other Ranmas began chuckling as they all shared the private joke. 

Later... 

Prototype casually walked up to Nabiki's room and knocked on the door. Akane and Kasumi's sister had not come down to eat with the rest of the family. In fact, she hadn't emerged from her room ever since she had visited the complex and Prototype had decided to check up on her. In his hands, he had a tray of delicious food that was created in his high-tech kitchen. 

"Nabiki, are you in there?" Prototype said in his most pleasant tone, though he was trying very hard not to chuckle. He had gotten the report from his Care-Bots of Nabiki's reaction after her experience in the Virtual Reality Chamber. The sight of one of her own selves rooting about in garbage would have been disturbing. Another reality of being hunted by the yakuza after double-crossing them certainly would have made her think twice about her racketeering and blackmail practices. Of course, there were those other realities in which she ended up married to Ranma and the VRC had showed everything in finely detailed 3D. The scene of her wedding night would have been a real eye-opener. Nabiki practiced some yoga, but she probably never realized she was THAT flexible. 

"Nabiki, are you there?" 

"Go away, Ranma!" 

"Nope. Wrong Ranma. It's me, Prototype. Kasumi was worried that you missed dinner, so I decided to bring you something to eat. May I come in?" 

"Hold on a minute!" 

The technological Ranma's sensitive hearing picked up the sounds of some fast clicking and he had a feeling that he knew what was going on. He then engaged the thermal sensors of his eyes and looked into room, which depicted the heat image of Nabiki hunched over the keyboard of her computer. A few moments later, she had shut down the system and got up to answer the door. 

As the door opened, Prototype observed that Nabiki had reasserted her usual Ice Queen image as she looked up at him. 

"Well, hello Prototype. What brings you here?" Nabiki said in her sweetest voice, though she wasn't fooling Prototype by a long shot. 

_She's obviously in denial._ "Oh, Kasumi was very worried that you didn't show up for dinner, so I told her that I'd bring you something to eat." T-Ranma held up the tray and gestured to the plate of pork cutlets, rice and vegetables with a cup of green tea. The delectable aroma from the food made her stomach begin to rumble, but Nabiki took a deep breath and shook her head. 

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm not that hungry and..." 

"No, no, no." T-Ranma said as mimicked Unit Two's voice, which made Nabiki a bit nervous. The technological martial artist then pushed himself in Nabiki's room and gently nudged her to sit on the edge of her bed, while placing the tray on her lap. "A pretty young lady like you needs to eat. After all, my counterparts and I must show our thanks to your family for allowing us the use of your broom closet during our stay here." 

Nabiki's heart raced when he referred to her as pretty. No one had ever given her such a compliment. This tall and extremely well-built version of the native Ranma was getting her all flustered with his maturity and seemingly warm nature and charm. She swallowed hard as she watched Tekno casually lean against the wall beside her computer and smiled at her. 

"Well, aren't you hungry at all? It would be a shame for all that food that I had my Care-Bots prepare for you go to waste." 

Nabiki shuddered a bit at the mention of those machines, but hunger finally won out as she looked down at the food and decided that there was no reason not to eat it. She then nodded and picked up the chopsticks and began eating the meal at a slightly fast, but controlled pace. After she had calmed down from her experience in the VRC, she had realized that deleting the native Ranma's debt to her was totally ludicrous. Ranma was one of her best income generators and those images she had seen of her alternate selves were just that, images. 

"Thank you." Nabiki said as she swallowed. "Mmmm, this is very good. My compliments to the chef." The food was better than good! It was absolutely perfect with the right amounts of spices and each bite was savored. If T-Ranma hadn't mentioned that the Care-Bots had prepared the meal, she would have thought that Kasumi had cooked it. 

"Unit Two and Three would be pleased to hear that. And I certainly hope that you enjoyed their services during your visit to the complex." 

Nabiki stopped eating and was bit uncomfortable as T-Ranma casually ran a hand over the top of her computer's monitor. He then made a casual comment. "Hmmm, nice antique computer you have here." 

_Antique?_ Nabiki had blackmailed the science teachers and computer technicians at school to get a hold of the most sophisticated equipment for her various ventures and he was calling it an antique? 

T-Ranma then tapped the top of the monitor with his index finger and nonchalantly made another comment. "Then again, I guess just about all the conventional technology on this planet is extremely primitive by my standards and the thousands of alien worlds I've visited. I mean, look at this. The security protocols on this thing is almost nonexistent and makes it easy to access the CPU." _Cybernetic interface._

(*Compliance.*) 

In less than a heartbeat, the nanites in T-Ranma's body instantly established total control over Nabiki's computer. Without even switching on computer, the entire system suddenly activated itself as the screen lit up, as Ranma's nanites bypassed the relatively simple security programs and obtained the passwords. Through the contact he had with his hand on the monitor, Prototype easily hacked into the middle Tendo daughter's many files, which contained the precious records of her mercenary work. He noted the files concerning the native Ranma and brought them up. 

"Well, now. It seems that you had not canceled out Ranma's outstanding debt after all." T-Ranma said as he shook his head and wagged a finger at her. "Tisk, tisk, tisk. And I had thought you had learned a few things when you were in the Virtual Reality Chamber. Oh well, I can rectify that." In an instant, the facts and figures on Ranma's outstanding debts to Nabiki suddenly became blank as they were permanently deleted. 

"Hey! What are you...." 

T-Ranma wagged a finger at her and shook his head. "Ah, ah, ah. Take a look at this, Nabiki Tendo. Look familiar?" He then accessed the modem and the monitor suddenly flashed a new set of figures. Nabiki became pale as she recognized those numbers and read the logo on the top of the screen. It was her own bank account numbers and the amount that was stored in that account. He used her own computer and his powers to access the records of the Tokyo Bank! 

"Now you see it. And now you don't!" T-Ranma said with a sly grin as her entire assets were suddenly reduced to zero. Nabiki was about to have a stroke at the sight of her savings suddenly disappear, when T-Ranma then snapped his fingers. "And now you see it again." 

When the amount that she had accumulated through her various schemes reappeared, she found her breath and let it out. It was then that T-Ranma decided that the little demonstration had the desired effect and released his hold on Nabiki's computer. The machine then automatically shut itself down. He then walked up to the little mercenary and his expression became serious. 

"Now then, I do hope you realize what this was all about, Nabiki Tendo. I could do a LOT worse you know. If you were planning on getting back at me for that little VRC incident, then you'd better think again. The same thing goes if you try to profit off my counterparts as well. There was a reason why I secretly let you into the complex and had my Care-Bots show you those images of your dimensional counterparts. You are very intelligent Nabiki, but you really need to realize that your current actions and patterns of behavior have very serious consequences if you continue on this course." Nabiki was still speechless at the casual display of power Prototype had demonstrated. He had her entire financial assets at his mercy and could probably bankrupt her at any time. 

Prototype continued with his lecture. "I have met hundreds of mercenary types during my journeys across the cosmos and many of them could easily chew you up and spit you out. Fortunately, I myself am quite capable of handling those types. You're dealing with the major leagues now, Nabiki Tendo. I don't mean to be blunt, but frankly, you're nothing but a penny-ante operator to me. Mere chump change. You're trying to compete with caviar when you're nothing but tuna fish. You have a great potential to be a big-wheeler, but you're wasting your talents on trivial pursuits and making life for Ranma harder than it needs to be." 

"Hey! Now what gives you the right to invade in my business? YOU'RE the GUEST here!" Nabiki snapped. 

"If you are seeking for a legal action, I'll have you know that I am very proficient with over three hundred different forms of judicial practices and legal processes. And as I recall, you're the one who entered my complex without my permission." 

Nabiki blinked. Okay, so this wasn't going to be as easy as shaking Ranma down for some spare change. 

Prototype nodded at her silence and continued. "Now, as I suspect, you have blocked out the images that my Care-Bots had shown to you. You probably thought that it was all some kind of illusion. Well, let me tell you, those images were REAL. I had recorded those alternate realities during our long trip through dimensions and those outcomes are extremely likely in this reality. Now I didn't have them show those pictures to you as a way of torturing you, but rather as an object lesson. And you must admit, the realities in which you were actually nice to Ranma all turned out quite well, didn't they? Especially in those timelines in which you married him." 

Nabiki's cheeks reddened at the memory of her 'wedding night.' 

"I thought so." T-Ranma said with a grin. "Now whether or not you take my advice is up to you of course, but it would be such a shame that you end up the same way as all those other Nabiki Tendos that chose the wrong path. Unlike some people, you CAN be taught. Enjoy your meal." 

With those words, Prototype patted her on the shoulder and left the room, leaving Nabiki alone with her thoughts. 

As he was about to reenter the complex to join the rest of his dimensional selves, he paused to see Kasumi working hard to clean up the dinner dishes and prepare to take care of the evening chores. He frowned as he saw neither Akane, Genma or Soun lift a finger to help her. As for the native Ranma, he couldn't help as he was currently unconscious after making yet another rude remark to Akane and getting pounded by that mallet of hers. He sighed and shook his head. From what he and the other Ranmas had observed so far, the native version of themselves was prone to sticking his foot in his mouth. Probably due to the poor upbringing by Genma. He also let his guard down too easily and seemed to ALLOW Akane to strike him. T-Ranma knew that his other selves would never have let Akane get away with that and probably would have made her eat that mallet. Though Ranma shouldn't be calling her names, that didn't justify striking him with enough force to kill a normal person. 

T-Ranma sighed again as he realized that trying to get Ranma to improve was going to be an uphill battle. Ranma was so influenced by Genma's teachings that it might as well be a lost cause. However, he and the others were still going to try. As for what could be done to lessen the burdens being placed on Kasumi, T-Ranma had idea about that. After scanning this reality about Kasumi and asking his counterparts about the ones in their own dimensions, Prototype had a good impression about her. The most favorable description of Kasumi came from Koga and the native Kasumi seemed to match that description. T-Ranma had also observed how hard-working she was and decided that such devotion to her duties should be rewarded. With that in mind, he entered the broom closet and called for one of the Care-Bots to give it new instructions. 

The next morning... 

Kasumi awoke early to begin the morning chores as always, when she found something metallic standing beside her bed. 

"Oh my!" She gasped as she saw Care-Bot Unit 7 looking back at her. 

"Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Good morning Kasumi Tendo. Please do not be alarmed. I am one of the Care-Bots that serve the one you know as Prototype. He had instructed me to assist you in the daily household chores as payment to your family for allowing us to reside here. My master had observed that you work very hard to maintain the order of this house and had decided that you should be rewarded for your selflessness." 

"Oh, that's very nice of him, but I must get started with..." 

"No need, no need." Unit Seven intoned as he gestured to the door. "I have already scrubbed and polished the floors. Garbage cycle has been completed and all refuse has been disposed of. If you wish, you may partake of the bubble bath I have drawn up for you, then I shall later have the bathroom cleaned. I must now go to prepare breakfast for the family as my sensors indicate that the rest of the Tendo household is waking up. " 

"Oh no! That's my responsibility." Kasumi said, not wanting to feel spoiled, and yet the thought of actually having someone to help her with the chores was like a gift from heaven. 

"No, no, no. My master had instructed me to ease your burdens and I shall. Please enjoy your leisure time. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." With these words, the machine shrunk down to its more compact shape and zipped out of the room. 

A few moments later. Kasumi emerged from her room and saw that the floors were swept clean and polished. She then looked into the bathroom and saw that an enticing bath was indeed waiting for her. The sight of just relaxing in the tub and soaking in those bubbles was so enticing that she almost began disrobing. However, she shook her head and went downstairs to the kitchen. However, to her surprise, the Care-Bot was already hard at work and a delicious smell of miso soup and tea filled the air. The machine was using its various built-in devices to mix the proper ingredients in their correct amounts and maintain the right cooking temperatures. 

"Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Breakfast is nearly completed. Will begin morning clean up and other preparations shortly." Its head turned around to see Kasumi. "Mistress Kasumi! I had thought that you were enjoying your bath. Please do not concern yourself about breakfast today. I have nearly completed cooking it." 

"Oh no, I can't allow you to..." 

"Now, now, now. Please allow me to fulfill my programming. By the way, how does this taste?" The Care-Bot dipped a spoon into the stewing soup and then extended the utensil toward Kasumi. Not wanting to be rude, the eldest Tendo daughter sampled the soup and to her surprise, found it to be surprisingly good, especially when it had been prepared by a machine. 

"Oh my! It's... perfect!" 

"Thank you. I believe that I can allow it to simmer for a few minutes. Now, then... off to the bath with you. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." 

Kasumi could nothing but allow herself to be gently nudged back toward the bathroom. 

After breakfast... 

"Ah, another wonderful breakfast, Kasumi." Soun remarked after he and the rest of his family had finished eating. Ranma was also eating with them but Genma was not present as his current condition left him unable to move from the guestroom. Ranma had decided to forego his daily sparring match as his father was in no shape to fight. He had thought to try and get a quick match with his counterparts, but they had left early for school. 

"Thank you, Father, but I cannot take the credit for breakfast today." Kasumi was feeling a bit guilty after she had spent an enjoyable soak in a bubble bath. The Care-Bot wouldn't take no for an answer. "Prototype's Care-Bot cooked breakfast today." 

"Care-Bot?" Nabiki said with a bit of nervousness. 

It was then that the robot jetted into the room and began to clear the empty dishes with unbelievable speed and efficiency. "Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Dishwashing cycle beginning." In less than a heartbeat, the dishes were carried out to the kitchen sink and the robot began scrubbing away. Using the advanced detergents and devices that were stored in its housing, Unit Seven had all the dishes washed, rinsed, dried and neatly put away in less than ten seconds! 

"Dishwashing cycle completed. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." It then shrunk down and jetted away to do another chore. 

"What was that?" Akane exclaimed in shock. 

Kasumi smiled sweetly as she replied. "Prototype had..." 

"Greetings." The Care-Bot came up to the table. "I am Care-Bot Unit 7 and I had been instructed by Master Prototype to aid Kasumi in all the daily household chores during his stay here." 

"Well now, wasn't that nice of him." Soun remarked. 

Nabiki was still looking at the machine nervously as Akane looked at it with distaste. Akane had enjoyed the breakfast and she had assumed that Kasumi had cooked it. To find out that the breakfast had been made by a machine that could cook better than she could was mortifying. It was bad enough to know that Ranma as a girl was a better cook than she was, but to have a machine built by one of the dimensional Ranmas a better cook than she, was insulting. 

More insult was added to injury as the Care-Bot cheerfully laid three bentos on the table and indicated to each one. "Lunches have been prepared for Ranma, Akane and Nabiki. Have a nice day. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." 

Nabiki hesitantly took her bento and quietly left. Ranma smiled as he picked up his bento. 

"All right! This is so cool!" 

Akane was not impressed as she blatantly ignored the bento and left in a huff. 

"Hey Akane! Don't forget your lunch!" Ranma called as he picked up her lunch and went after her. 

A few minutes after Ranma and Akane had left for school... 

"Thank you Care-Bot, but I must start the laundry and..." 

"Laundry cycle has already been completed." The robot lead Kasumi outside to the backyard where she saw the formally dirty clothes already washed, and hanging on the line. The eldest daughter could only gasp in amazement at the efficiency of her new helper. 

"Oh my." 

A few minutes after that... 

"What are you doing, Mistress Kasumi?" The Care=Bot asked as it pointed to the broom in Kasumi's hands. 

"Well, I thought that I'd sweep out the front porch and..." 

"No need. Porch has already been swept out. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." 

"Oh really? Well, then I guess I should call the repairman to fix the hole in the dojo's roof and..." 

"Damage to roof has already been repaired. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." 

"You fixed it?" 

"Affirmative. Now beginning window washing cycle." 

Without another word, the robot then jetted one side of the Tendo home and then extended its body to reach Nabiki's bedroom window. A squeegee appendage and a nozzle appeared out of its head as it started to wash the glass. 

Kasumi could only smile as she watched the little machine work. The rain gutters had been cleaned out. The gas water heater that had been acting up lately had been corrected. The household dusting had been done in mere seconds. The bathroom was cleaner than she ever remembered. All the walls that had withstood the daily attacks on Ranma and Akane's temper tantrums had been neatly repaired and reinforced. Burnt-out light bulbs and old fuses were quickly replaced. Leaky faucets and pipes stopped dripping once Care-Bot got to them. Unit Seven's maintenance programs had saved the Tendo family the time and money of hiring plumbers, electricians and building repairmen. 

Still a little bit later... 

"Vacuuming cycle completed. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online." 

"Oh please let me do something, Care-Bot." Kasumi gently pleaded as she suddenly found herself with a generous amount of leisure time; more free time than she had ever had since her mother had passed away. The Care-Bot was truly a marvel but now, Kasumi was feeling somewhat superfluous. Her life as the main caretaker of her family wasn't easy, but it did give her a sense of purpose and she always took pride in the fact that she was living up to her mother's standards as a proper Japanese housewife. One by one, the cheerful little Care-Bot was taking away her duties. 

"What would you like to do, Mistress?" The caretaker robot said as the suctioning device retracted back into its housing. 

"Well, I do need to go shopping for groceries and supplies." 

"No need to spend any money. Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. No offense intended, but I am well aware of your father's lack of a regular source of income and how you must budget every yen. You may enter the complex and have your pick of whatever is in the storage units. If you do not see what you want, I am authorized to have the food synthesizers supply you with anything you require. I can also provide you with all the household items that you wish to obtain. No charge of course. There is more than enough and I am very certain that my master would not mind. He did state that I am to attend to all of your needs. It is both my duty and pleasure to aid you." 

"Really?" 

"Yes. And you are more than welcome to make use of the recreational facilities as well. My master and his dimensional counterparts all agree that you most certainly deserve to have some fun." 

Fun. Now that was a term that was rarely associated with the dutiful and hard-working Tendo daughter. Kasumi found herself at a loss for words as the little automaton gently took her hand and led her into the broom closet. 

Twenty minutes later... 

Kasumi couldn't believe her good fortune as she emerged from the closet, closely followed by Unit Seven. It was pushing a large anti-gravity cart that was laden with enough food to feed the Tendo family for a good month, even with two houseguests with bottomless stomachs. Kasumi had not spent long hours walking around the streets of Tokyo, looking for the lowest prices and highest discounts. She had gotten it all for free and you couldn't beat that! The groceries had been obtained without leaving the home and she had still had all the money she had saved up to purchase said items. 

All she had to do was give Unit Seven the shopping list and the robot gladly went to get the items. In less than five minutes, it returned with all the things on the paper and a LOT more. The fruits and vegetables were fresh and clean; as if they had been harvested from a farm. The meats were freshly cut and ready to be used. There were packages of ramen, bottles of soy sauce, flour, yeast, bread, fish, eggs, and many other things, including supplies like towels, toilet paper, soap, shampoo, laundry detergent, a new wok, and so on. Though Kasumi tried to gently turn down all the extra foodstuffs and things, (despite the fact that her family sorely needed them), the Care-Bot still wouldn't take no for answer and insisted that she accept them. 

However, when Kasumi had come across the kitchen of the complex, she had thought she had stepped into a paradise. The kitchen was immaculately clean with not a single spot of grease, dust or any other signs of untidiness. The room was equipped with the most advanced food preparation devices she had ever seen. It made her kitchen seem like the inside of a log cabin. However, despite its high-tech appearance, it still radiated a sense of warmth and friendliness as the Care-Bot demonstrated the many technological wonders and invited Kasumi to cook the evening meal she had planned for that night. As of now, the entire meal for six people was in a small, compressible, stasis field container and would remain fresh and hot indefinitely, until it was ready to be consumed. All Kasumi had to do was press a button and the food would be released and neatly set on the table in an instant. Though she marveled at the speed and efficiency of the cooking devices, she realized that was she left with even more free time. She began to feel guilty. With the little Care-Bot doing most of the work, she had more than a day left with all the chores being completed before 10:00 am! 

_What am I going to do? I can't think of anything else to take care of. Care-Bot has done it all!_ She then looked toward her own kitchen and sighed as she saw the Care-Bot neatly stock away the groceries and supplies in their proper places, and then zip back with the empty cart into the closet. It then returned and extended itself so that its photoreceptors met with Kasumi's gaze. 

"Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Groceries and supplies have been stored away. What are your orders now, Mistress Kasumi?" 

"I... don't know. All the chores have been done, and my father and Mr. Saotome had gone out for the day. Nabiki, Ranma and Akane won't be home from school for several hours and... oh dear! I have so much extra time." 

"Care-Bot is pleased that Mistress Kasumi is now free to enjoy the rest of the day. May I suggest that you make use of the recreational facilities in the complex." 

"Oh no! I couldn't do that." 

'Why not? There are no more chores to be done, is there?" 

"No, but I couldn't just go in and use the other Ranmas' things and..." 

"Do not concern yourself with that detail. My master Prototype was correct in saying that you have a kind heart, and if any member of this household deserves to have access to the complex besides the native Ranma, it would be you." 

"Really? He said that?" Kasumi felt a warmth inside of her. No man had ever said that about her and she was unused to such compliments. 

"My master did not lie. Now please, follow me." 

An hour later... 

Kasumi was feeling absolutely spoiled after receiving an expert pedicure, manicure, back and foot massage and took another hot soak, this time in the bathing area of the complex. Unit Seven had called in the other Care-Bots to assist it, which they did cheerfully. Her hair was cleaned with a special shampoo that revitalized the fibers, making them more luxuriant and shiny. She felt the tension gently ease away as Unit 4 massaged her scalp. She almost fell asleep in the warm waters as soft gentle music played from hidden speakers. The melody was actually one of the songs that B-Ranma played on his flute. 

Another few hours later... 

The eldest Tendo daughter applauded after she was treated to an impromptu fashion show in the Virtual Reality Chamber. She had also been treated to a wonderful show of images of different worlds and sights that exploded with vibrant colors and patterns. She was in awe as images of various gowns and dresses were paraded in front of her with Care-Bot Unit 7 being the announcer. 

"And here we have a stunning evening gown from the Centuran planet of Galactic Sector Delta Q." 

An image of a green-skinned, humanoid woman walked past Kasumi, showing off the amber gown that had a daringly plunging neckline and accentuated the shoulders. The gown draped down toward the ankles, but had a slit up the side to show off a shapely leg. The dress was eye-catching enough to turn the heads of any full-blooded male. Kasumi had an image of herself in such a dress and blushed. She quickly pushed that image away. 

"You would look lovely in such a dress, Mistress Kasumi." 

"Oh no! I couldn't! Besides, it's just an image and..." 

Before she could say anything more, Kasumi was bathed in a white light as Unit Seven activated its molecular rearrangement projector at the simple house dress she was wearing. In an instant, she found herself clothed in that same evening gown, with her hair done up in a beautiful braid tied with a white ribbon. Her feet were wearing crystal, low heeled pumps and bejeweled, gold bracelet hung from her right wrist. A mirror appeared before her and Kasumi gasped at how... beautiful she looked. The dress had been altered to match her figure and it did quite a job of making her seem like a fairytale princess. Holy Cinderella! 

Kasumi couldn't believe the image of herself being reflected. 

The Care-Bot nodded. "You see, Mistress? You look ravishing." 

Kasumi couldn't help but agree. Yet, a new feeling came over her. She felt as if a huge burden that had been pressed against her for years was no longer there. She was free... to be Kasumi. She was a soul that had been redeemed. For today, the world no longer depended on her to be there. She felt more animated than she had ever been. She felt like nothing could hold her back as she gave the gown a twirl. She was more free than she ever experienced after taking her mother's place as the caretaker of the Tendo family. For one glorious day, Kasumi could be... normal. 

However, the moment passed as she realized that it was all an illusion and would end. Though Care-Bot 7 had released her from her duties and obligations for one wonderful day, she knew that it was only temporary. When T-Ranma and the others left, things would go back to what they were. She let off a long sigh and gave the Care-Bot a sad smile. 

"Unit Seven... today has been wonderful and I thank you, the other Car-Bots and your master. It had been a marvelous... holiday." 

"Holiday? I do not understand Mistress Kasumi. My fellow units and I will still be here to aid you tomorrow and the days after that." 

"It is not that I do not appreciate all that you and the other Units have done for me and my family, but I'm afraid that... it is all a dream. When you and the others leave, then... things will go back the way they were. Not that I'm complaining but..." Kasumi gave another long sigh as she her dreams of having a normal life without having to tend to all if her family's needs faded away. "It's all just a wonderful dream." 

"And what's wrong that dream?" 

Both Kasumi and Care-Bot Unit 7 turned suddenly at the sound of T-Ranma's voice and saw him casually leaning against the doorway to the VRC. The nanotech warrior smiled as he saw Kasumi dressed in the gown and nodded to Unit Seven. 

"Well, now Unit 7. It seems that the quiet little caterpillar has broken out of her cocoon. I see before me a very pretty butterfly." 

Kasumi blushed horribly as she realized that she was still in that very revealing evening gown. T-Ranma chuckled a bit as the girl tried cover herself with her arms, and gave her a reassuring smile. 

"Master Ranma. You have returned early." Care-Bot Unit 7 exclaimed. 

T-Ranma nodded as he walked up to the flustered Kasumi. "Yes, well my afternoon classes had to be canceled when Kuno went and attacked me again. I'm afraid that I went a little overboard with... disciplining him." He then turned and addressed the eldest Tendo daughter. "Don't be so shy, Miss Tendo. A pretty girl such as yourself should be seen and not hide behind an apron. Relax. This is your day off." T-Ranma said as he snapped his fingers and said, "Computer, I believe that a different setting would be more appropriate for Kasumi's newest addition to her wardrobe." 

The VRC computer acknowledged the subtle command and the setting was switched from its current appearance to that of a grand ballroom, complete with an orchestra. 

T-Ranma then engaged the cyberweave body suit he was wearing and was instantly clothed in a fancy tuxedo and gave Kasumi a bow as a soft waltz began to play. "Fair lady, may I have this dance?" 

"Oh no! I couldn't... oh!" 

T-Ranma gently took her hand and began leading her in time with the music. 

Later on... 

Kasumi emerged from the broom closet feeling refreshed (no, you hentais! Not because of that!), and turned to face both Unit 7 and T-Ranma as they exited. She was dressed in her normal clothes and the gown was neatly folded in her arms. "I would like to thank you both for a wonderful time and it was a day that I'll never forget." 

"It will be just as enjoyable tomorrow, Mistress Kasumi. I will see you in the morning." Unit Seven stated as he gave her and T-Ranma a bow before going back into the closet. 

"He's quite a Care-Bot." T-Ranma remarked. "Unit Seven happens to be the most proficient and I knew that it would be perfect for you." 

"And I thank you for the loan of it, but I'm afraid that I must return it to you. Today was wonderful, but I must return to my duties tomorrow and..." 

"What do you mean? Unit Seven will be will be helping you again tomorrow and so on." 

"Unit Seven is wonderful, but I..." Kasumi began but T-Ranma cut her off by gently. 

"The Care-Bot is my way of thanking your family for letting my counterparts and me stay here while my ship is repairing itself. And I know about your dream of having a normal life." He winked at her after patting her hand and turned back to the closet. "Hold onto your dreams. The future is built on them. Oh, and by the way, the gown and everything else that Care-Bot Unit Seven had given you today is yours to keep." 

Kasumi could only gaze at the technological and very mature version of the native Ranma entered the complex. She then looked down at the gown in her hands as he departed, his last words still echoing in her ears. 

_Hang on to your dreams... the future is built on them._

To be continued... 

Author's notes 

Why did I write this chapter? I LIKE Kasumi and I figured that she deserved to be pampered while the five Ranmas were visiting. As for a potential romance between T-Ranma and Kasumi, it is a possibility. More GCC coming up later.


	16. Chapter 11

**The Great Crossover Crisis**

Disclaimer: It my writer's right to write this. 

: Thoughts 

(* *): Computer responses 

P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu (Ash, Trainer) 

T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Tekno, Prototype) 

Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury 

D-Ranma: Dragon Child (Draco) 

B-Ranma: Fighting Blind (Koga) 

DD-Akane: Akane from Dual Destinies 

Ranma Red and Ranma Blue: Twin Ranmas from Dual Destinies 

Ranma: Ranma 1/2 

^^ ^^: Kami-sama is speaking 

: Lyrics 

**Chapter 11 **

The Good, the Bad, and the Ranmas 

P-Ranma was tip-toeing through a dark cavern as he searched for the beings responsible for causing all the trouble in the area. He could feel it in his bones that he was getting close. All the clues that he and his counterparts had collected were now falling into place. They had decided to split up to explore the other caverns and side tunnels. The only thing left to do was to catch the bad guys. It was at that point that he realized that he was alone. Raiden was nowhere in sight. 

"Raiden? Where are you?" 

It was then that a rumbling sound was heard and something suddenly burst out from and adjacent wall of the cavern. P-Ranma's battle aura flared as he leapt back to get more fighting room. The gigantic tunneling machine lumbered forward with its huge diamond-tipped drill directed at the Pokémon Trainer. In the driver's seat, the nefarious Demon Digger cackled as he prepared to ram into his target. That'll teach him to snoop around where he wasn't wanted! 

P-Ranma's eyebrows furrowed as he prepared to launch a massive ki blast at his opponent. As he was about to release his attack, he called out for his Pokémon one more time. 

"Raiden! Pikachu... where are you?" 

That was when his Pikachu suddenly dropped down from above and landed on top of the Demon Digger. 

(And now we start hearing the lyrics...) 

_Pika pika chu, where are you? We've got some work to do now. _

The Demon Digger tried to shake off the electric rodent, but Raiden held fast as he began powering up his electric sacs. 

_Pika pika chu, where are you? We need some help from you now._

"Pika... CHUUUUU!!!!" 

"YEEEEEEOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!" The Demon Digger screamed out as 50, 000 volts were pumped into him. 

_Come on Pikachu, I see you._

_Getting ready to shock the bad guy!_

The Demon Digger ran from the digging machine screaming with his hair on fire and Raiden chasing after him, preparing to let loose with a Thunderbolt. 

_I feel bad for him, his future's dim, for the Pokémon's going to make him fry!_

Raiden let loose with another high-voltage blast and you could see the skeleton of the Demon Digger as he howled out in pain. 

_You know we've got a mystery to solve, so are you ready to go and make things rock... 'round the clock?_

Raiden then began bashing in the Demon Digger's face with his martial arts skills. Soon the monster is begging for the cops. 

_And Pikachu when you are through I know you'll give them all a Thundershock!_

"Pika.... CHUUUUUUU!!!!" 

**_ZZZZZZZAAAAAPPPPPP!!!_**

"YEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!" 

_That's no crock!_

By now, the screams of being repeatedly beaten and given drastic electrotherapy had gotten the attention of the other Ranmas. They emerged from various side tunnels to see Raiden finish off the dreaded Demon Digger. The Scooby Doo gang also arrive on the scene. 

_Pika pika chu, here are you_

_You're really turning up the voltage!_

"HELP! PLEASE!" 

**_ZZZZAAAAAPPPPPP!!! _**

"ARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!" 

_'Cause we can count on you, Pikachu!_

_There's no one with your kind of courage!_

"Pikachu!" Raiden said gleefully as he sat atop the bad guy, who was sprawled on the cavern floor, and smoking a bit from being cooked medium-rare. 

A bit later... 

"So, let's see who the Demon Digger really is." Velma said as she pulled off the mask. 

The Scooby Doo gang gasped while the five Ranmas nodded when they saw who it was. 

"Zoinks! It's Mr. Brown, the head foreman of the mining company!" Shaggy exclaimed. 

"Right." T-Ranma said as he began filling in the details. "That white powder that Daphne and Freddy found was actually diamond dust. I had it analyzed and I did a geological scan of the area. I found out that a huge vein of diamonds was near the site where the miners were digging for copper, zinc and all those other metals." 

"I get it." Kojiro said. "Brown probably stumbled upon the vein by accident during the initial survey, right?" 

Koga nodded. "And he decided to mine out all the diamonds for himself. The only problem was that the land that the vein was located at belonged to the Indian reservation. So he invented the legend of the Demon Digger to scare away the workers and anyone else from getting too close to his operation, which was to illegally mine the diamonds." 

"But what about all those tremors that were caused when the Demon Digger struck the ground with his pickaxe?" Shaggy asked. 

T-Ranma shrugged as he replied while tapping his temple with a finger. "Just some really cheap special effects that were used as a cover-up for what was really happening. They didn't fool my optic circuits though. What you saw was a holographic image from a hidden projector, while Brown was down below operating his digging machine. The projector was set by remote control and whenever he started digging, the images would be showing the Demon Digger striking the ground with his pickaxe. What you thought were seismic tremors were actually vibrations caused by the machine as it burrowed through the ground. As for those trails of white powder, that was of course the residual diamond dust that was left over from the excavations." 

"I've got to admit, that was some sweet set-up." Draco whistled. 

The police detective nodded as he was about to lead Brown and his accomplices away. "It was, but it's all over now." 

Brown growled as he was being pushed into the police car. "Bah! And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those five look-alikes and that oversized rat of theirs!" 

Raiden smirked as he nibbled on a Scooby snack. As the police car drove away, Scooby Doo walked up to Raiden and gave him a friendly lick. 

"Scooby-Doo!" 

"Pikachu!" 

(*End of recording.*) 

Ranma whistled as he and his other selves sat in the viewing room of the complex. The lights then came on as the wide screen viewer in front of them went blank. 

"I can't believe it! You mean there's a universe out there in which the characters of that American anime actually exist?" 

"You bet." T-Ranma affirmed. "I've been keeping records of all of our adventures since we started on this trip through dimensions. We've been in realities in which many anime characters are actually real-life people." He turned to his other selves and addressed them. "Remember that world with the Sailor Senshi, guys?" 

"DON'T REMIND ME!" P-Ranma said angrily as he turned his back to his technological counterpart. 

"What's up with him?" Ranma asked. 

Tekno shrugged as he replied. "Well, Ash had gotten into a situation in which he had to directly... get involved with the Sailor Senshi and..." 

"I SAID DON'T REMIND ME!" P-Ranma still shuddered a bit as he remembered his role as the Silver Senshi. "Besides, I'm sure that other guys don't want to go through that Justice Five bit again." 

The other Ranmas shuddered a little as they nodded in agreement. That had been corny. 

"Justice Five?" Ranma asked. 

T-Ranma had a little sweatdrop as he laughed nervously for a moment. "Okay, I admit that it wasn't one of my better ideas, but it all worked out in the end, right?" When he got a foreboding silence from them, he decided that now was the time to change the subject as he signaled the projector to roll another clip. 

---------- 

_**Click!**_

"Who are you?" The bad guy said as he and his gang were bruised, battered and sprawled all over the landscape. 

"Well you could say that we're hunters of peace..." Koga began. 

"Chasing after the elusive mayfly of love." Kojiro added. 

"After all, this world is devoted to..." Draco said. 

"Love and peace!" Vash the Stampede finished as he held up two fingers in a vee as he repeated his mantra. 

"Love and peace!" The other Ranmas repeated as they all stood among the rubble of the town. In the background, Merille Styfe had a huge sweatdrop as she surveyed the damage caused by the fight that broke out between Vash the Stampede, the bounty hunters and the five nearly identical interlopers. Surprisingly enough, no one got killed, though the city was in ruins and guess which insurance company was going to pay for it? 

_Oh no! NOW he's got a possé!_

---------- 

_**Click!**_

We now see an image of P-Ranma in his cursed form in a dress and standing on a stage aboard the SDF-1. Minmei had developed laryngitis, so guess who had to sing? 

"Come on Trainer! Those barrier satellites I put up around the Earth won't keep out the Zentreadi fleet forever!" Prototype said over the communications systems as his ship was leading the Robotech Defense Forces and their Zentreadi allies against Dolza's armada. 

"But..." 

"Sing!" 

P-Ranma sighed out a mushroom puff as the music began to play. 

_Life is only what we choose to make it..._

_Let's just take it..._

_Let us be free!_

_We can find the glory we all dream of..._

_And the battle..._

_We can win!_

_Still, we must fight or face defeat..._

_We must stand tall and not retreat!_

_With our strength we can find the light..._

_There's no threat we can't fight..._

_Together..._

_Come together..._

_We can win!_

P-Ranma winced as she knew what was coming up next. One of the major points of the battle plan... the Kiss, was up next.. 

_Ugh!_ The Pokémon trainer turned around as Lynn Kyle approached her. 

Outside in space, T-Ranma's ship and D-Ranma's dragon form were aiding the combined forces in tearing up the Main Fleet of the Zentreadi armada. 

Thankfully, at that point, T-Ranma signaled the projector to show a new clip. 

---------- 

_**Click!**_

"Don't ever show that one again!" P-Ranma said. 

Ranma nodded as he remembered being kissed by Mikado Sanzenein. 

---------- 

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Cobra Commander laughed as the last of the GI Joe members were put into chains. 

"You'll never get away with this Cobra Commander." Duke said defiantly. 

"Oh really?" He sneered. "GI Joe headquarters has been destroyed. Your entire team is now is chains. Who's left to stop me?" He turned to his triumphant troops and shouted out their battle cry. 

"COBRA!" 

It was at that time that T-Ranma's ship flashed in from the skies and five figures dropped down toward the ground. The lead diver was armed with enough weaponry to level a city by himself. 

"YO JOE!" 

---------- 

_**Click!**_

"For the LAST time, Aisha! I AM NOT A CTARL CTARL!" 

Aisha Clan Clan could only stare at Kojiro in his hybrid form with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. 

---------- 

_**Click!**_

"Am I glad we got out of THAT universe!" Kojiro commented. 

---------- 

The five Ranmas were now standing in the middle of some forest moon. They looked at each at each other as Kojiro asked... 

"Do any of you want to say it or should I?" 

"Go ahead." Prototype replied. 

"Thanks." Kojiro took a deep breath and then shouted out to the heavens. "WHERE IN THE SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM ARE WE NOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW?!" 

The Neko Ken fighter's shout startled the local village of Ewoks. 

---------- 

_**Click!**_

Ranma looked at the others with a huge sweatdrop. Kojiro and the others could only shrug as the Cat Fist fighter replied with a sheepish smile. 

"Well, we were really stressed out at the time." 

---------- 

"It's the Muppet Show with our very special guests, Kojiro, Trainer, Prototype, Draco and Ranma Saotome, yaaaaaaaayyyy!!!" 

---------- 

_**Click!**_

Ranma was about to say something, but Trainer held up a hand and said, "Please, don't ask!" 

---------- 

We now see a very prehistoric-looking scene with Kojiro in a hard hat, operating what appears to be an Brontosaurus. On the side, the quarry foreman looks down at his sundial watch and then pulls the tail of a bird, signaling the end of the day. That's when the ship flashes in from the sky and the Cat Fist fighter waves a fond farewell to Fred Flintstone as he leaps out of the cab and slides down the tail. 

"EEEEEEEEEE YABBA DABBA DOO!" 

_Ranmas! Meet the Ranmas!_

_They're the greatest team to ever be!_

The ship swooped down and let out a line for Kojiro to catch as it then pulled up and accelerated toward the sky. The Neko Ken martial artist is reeled into the craft as it speeds up into space. 

_Hopping, through the nexus._

_They've left their mark in Fred Flintstone's city!_

---------- 

_**Click!**_

"Now you've GOT to be kidding!" Ranma said in disbelief. 

Kojrio shrugged as he replied. "Nope. That was real too. And it wasn't all THAT bad. I wouldn't mind having another one of those Bronto-Burgers." The Cat Fist fighter then licked his chops a bit as he remembered the succulent taste of juicy dino-meat. He had developed a taste for prehistoric cuisine and shrugged as he thought that it was probably due to the saber-tooth tiger part of him. 

---------- 

The Joker was really impressed after Prototype easily rescued Vicki Vale from the trap and spirited her away minutes before Batman even arrived at the scene. 

"Where did _HE_ get all those wonderful toys?" 

---------- 

_**Click!**_

"Hey! I saw that movie!" Ranma exclaimed. 

---------- 

_You've got the touch!_

_You've got the powerrrrrrr!!_

_Yeah!_

"Come on guys! It's time to light our darkest hour!" Koga said as he and the others blasted Galvatron out of Unicron's chest. 

_After all is said and done!_

_You never walked You never run!_

_You're a winner!_

Rodimus Prime smiled as he picked up the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and nodded. The power of the Matrix was let loose and began tearing up the Planet Devourer's insides. 

_Got the moves, you know the street!_

_Break the rules, take the heat!_

_You're nobody's fool!_

The new Autobot Leader and the five Ranmas ran for their lives as Unicron's body began building toward critical mass. 

_You're at your best when the going gets rough._

_You've been put to the test but it's never enough!_

A few minutes later, the rest of the autobots and their human friends join up with them and they all make their exit through Unicron's remaining eye. The head of the monster was blown off and put into an orbit around Cybertron as the main body exploded like a supernova. 

Later on Cybertron, Rodimus Prime finishes his speech with that famous phrase as the five Ranmas left in their ship. 

"Till all are one!" 

"TILL ALL ARE ONE!" The five martial artists chorused as the ship entered the nexus. 

---------- 

Ranma Blue gave a whimsical smile to his brother as they watched the clips from their own dimensional pocket. 

"I always wondered where Skuld got that song for our battle against Sharoka." 

---------- 

The native Ranma became entranced as he saw the exploits of his dimensional counterparts and the martial arts skills they displayed during their romp through dimensions. He saw them take out the Death Star, fight demons and monsters that would have made mincemeat out of him. They fought interstellar battles, visited strange and exotic worlds and had more experiences that made his own ten-year training journey look like a weekend vacation. After seeing more than a hundred samples of what his counterparts had gone through and what they were capable of, he was more determined than ever to learn all their secrets and techniques to become the greatest martial artist in the world... no, in the universe! 

It had been a week since the five other versions of himself had landed in the lot behind the Tendo home, and their presence had already caused some major changes to occur. With the help of Care-Bot Unit 7, Kasumi had been given a chance to actually experience life outside the Tendo home. She was now seeing other people besides the usual crowds of housewives that she associated with while grocery shopping. She was free to go out and have fun; see the sights, go to movies and shop for things other than the essentials for her family. However, her main interest of her new lifestyle was in the oldest member of the dimensional Ranmas. 

Apparently, Kasumi had started to become attracted to Prototype and his maturity. Unlike Dr. Tofu, the technological martial artist kept a cool head whenever he was in her presence and was the perfect gentleman. He complimented her often and whenever she was near him, the eldest Tendo daughter would sport a shade of red on her cheeks. He was polite, yet dashing, like the daring rogues of those torrid love novels that she read in secret. He was tall, handsome, well-developed and older than she was, (as we all recall from the beginning, she prefers older and more mature men). He was basically the utmost potential that the native Ranma could achieve, both physically and mentally. 

There were a few obstacles in her way though. First of all, Kasumi had something of a rival, namely a girl-teacher who had recently grown up. Miss Hinako was no longer cursed to revert back to her child form and had been making a few advances toward Tekno at school. Unlike the crush she had with Soun Tendo, her attraction toward Prototype was more of an adult nature. Prototype found himself in a bit of an uncomfortable position and had to politely turn her down each time. However, Hinako had proven to be quite persistent as she continued to vie for his affections. 

Kasumi's shy nature was also working against her, since she had no prior experience to dating before taking her mother's place as the caretaker of the Tendo clan. She felt somewhat inadequate and had low self-esteem, thinking of herself as ordinary and plain, though the technological Ranma and his counterparts assured her she was anything but that. 

The presence of the other versions of Ranma were also making her a bit torn. Kojiro was wild and absolutely gorgeous whenever he switched to his hybrid form. Koga displayed a kind of maturity that went beyond his years and a gentle soul that mirrored her own. Draco was... exotic with his mystical powers and she felt mesmerized every time she looked into those slitted pupils. As for Trainer, well... he was.. fun to be with. He knew how to have fun and his Pokémon were just so adorable. His Pikachu had become especially fond of her and her cooking. Raiden would often come to the kitchen for some tasty tidbits. 

As for the rest of the Tendo family, the five otherworldly versions of the best martial artist in Nerima were also making a few impacts as well, not to some people's liking though. Nabiki had become extremely cautious, more so than usual, especially around Prototype. Ranma wasn't sure exactly what happened to her when she went into the complex, but she hadn't been trying to make any money off him or his other selves. In fact, she hadn't made any money period. 

However, the three residents of the Tendo dojo that had been getting a lot of lumps lately were Akane, Happosai and Genma, though Ranma had to admit, they asked for it. 

Happosai had been the first to get the worst of the encounters... 

Flashback to six days ago... 

_Ow! That smarts!_ The old lecher winced as he made his way back to the Tendo Dojo. He had landed painfully in Juuban after his short and humiliating battle against the Neko Ken fighter. _Since when did Ranma get THAT fast and strong?! And I don't remember him being able to use the Cat Fist like that! Grrr! He'll pay for that! Hey! I know! I'll use the Moxibustion Point on him! Heh! Once he's weak, I'll get all his enemies after him! That'll teach him!_

It was at that point that he saw Ranma standing in the dining room with his back turned as he was speaking to Kasumi. Happosai grinned as he leapt forward and applied the pressure point to a spot between Ranma's shoulder blades. It was then that he turned around to face the grinning master of the Anything Goes. 

"HA, HA, HA, HA! Now you'll pay for getting into my business Ranma!" 

Draco looked down at the gnome as he felt a slight warmth on his back and shrugged. He had felt much hotter temperatures in the Dragon World. "What are you talking about, you little troll?" 

"You no longer have any strength and will be weak forever!" 

"Oh really?" Draco said with contempt as he picked up the heavy table with one hand and said to Kasumi, "Don't worry, I'll have one of the Care-Bots fix this later." He then casually crushed it into splinters. 

Happosai's widened as he stuttered. "W-W-Wha? You can't be able to do that!" 

"Who says? DRAGON FIRE!" 

Anyone for Roast Happosai? 

End of flashback... 

Draco had later explained to Ranma that his skin had the same constitution as dragon scales, which made him virtually immune to most shiatsu attacks. Of course, Happosai had thought that he had somehow missed the correct spot and showing his usual stubbornness, decided to try again. However, this time he mistook Prototype for Ranma. That had proven to be a big mistake as the technological Ranma was the strongest of the five. 

Flashback to that same day, but a little later... 

Happosai was slightly charred after being barbequed, but saw that he had another chance when he saw Ranma causally sitting in the den reading a newspaper. With his back turned, the old pervert had another chance as he leapt toward his unprotected side. 

However, Prototype had long since detected his approach, and though the lecher was as formidable as Cologne, the attack he was using wasn't anything effective. He shrugged as Happosai's shiatsu attack made contact. 

_Computer, was that the Drayllian Strength Draining Attack?_

(*Shiatsu technique similar to what the Drayllian Pacifists use, though it is just as easy to correct. Nanites had already brought decreased ki levels back to normal.*) 

T-Ranma nodded as he casually swatted Happosai like a bothersome fly. "Get lost, you little gnat." 

Happosai went shooting off like a rocket and smashed through the wall. He kept on going and went through a few more walls of several houses before finally rolling to a stop in the middle on a street two blocks away. That was when a transit bus ran over him. 

At that moment, Care-Bot Unit Seven appeared. 

"Care-Bot Unit Seven is online. Beginning structural repair on east wall." 

"Sorry about that Care-Bot." 

End of flashback... 

Now a normally, a person would have given up, provided that he survived being fried and being hit with the equivalent of a speeding freight train. However, Happosai was anything BUT normal and Ranma knew just petty he was. The old lecher decided that the third time was the charm. Unfortunately, it was an UNLUCKY charm. 

Flashback to that same day, this time it is early evening... 

"Give me back my strength!" Ranma shouted as he chased after Happosai. 

"Ha, ha! I got you now and..." 

WHAM! 

The ancient pervert was slammed to the floor as a staff suddenly appeared and beaned him on the head. Before he could recover, a hand flashed forward and applied several shiatsu points to his back, temporarily immobilizing him. That was when B-Ranma stepped forward as Ranma ran up to him. 

Happosai's eyes widened as he saw two Ranmas. 

"Huh? Two of you?!" 

B-Ranma shrugged as he addressed his native double. "What's wrong, Ranma?" 

Ranma was fuming as he pointed to the paralyzed Happosai. "That little troll used the Moxibustion Point on me and was going tell all my enemies that I'm weak now." 

"Oh? What's the Moxibustion Point and why do I sense that your ki levels are reduced all of a sudden?" 

"It's a pressure point that reduces a person's strength to a baby's." 

"Hah! And there's nothing you can do about it!" Happosai sneered. "This is payback to what he did to me at the school!" 

"Wrong Ranma." B-Ranma commented as he simply walked around Ranma and then extended his senses to his patient's lines of ki. He then located the point in which the flows of inner energy were being restricted and applied the correct pressure to the release point. Ranma suddenly felt a burning sensation and then his strength fully returned. He then felt another series of quick, but gentle finger jabs in his back. He turned around with a questioning look to his blind counterpart. 

Koga shrugged as he replied to Ranma's unspoken question. "I'm just ensuring that Happosai never uses that particular attack on you again. Those pressure points I just applied to you have now made your body immune to the Moxibustion Point." He then addressed to the still paralyzed Happosai. "Now as for you." Happosai winced as he felt a spot of heat on his back. It was at that time that the paralysis wore off and he got up to attack Koga. However, with the Moxibustion Point now working on his body, his usual perversion-fueled strength was reduced to its lowest levels. He was easily swatted to the ground. 

"Now let's see how you like being weak for a while." B-Ranma said as he held his staff like a golf club and swung. "FORE!" 

Happosai was sent flying off into the distance. 

End of flashback... 

Ranma shook his head while smiling. His dimensional counterparts had no problems whatsoever in handling Happosai. He hadn't seen that old lecher since then. Things hadn't gotten boring since then, as Akane finally got a chance to spar against each of the Ranmas. However, that had proven to be a really BIG mistake. 

---------- 

Flashback to four days ago... 

P-Ranma sighed as he had just about to leave the dojo, when Akane suddenly appeared and challenged him to a match. The Pokémon trainer had been playing around with his Pikachu and the sparring session had been nothing more than simple relaxation. Prototype had been doing some maintenance in the complex, so the other Ranmas had been taking turns using the dojo. 

"I really don't feel like sparring now." Ash replied as he signaled to Raiden. The electric mouse hopped up and perched on his right shoulder. 

"What's the matter? Afraid that you're going to lose?" Akane taunted. She had been getting very irritated at all the attention that Ranma's other selves had been getting and wanted to work off some steam. This Ranma only sparred with cute little animals, so he certainly wouldn't be a match for someone of her caliber. She also saw his refusal as a slight to her own skills as well. 

"Nope. I just don't feel on picking on a really weak opponent." P-Ranma replied. Like the native Ranma, this Ranma had a bit of a problem with tact, though not as great since he had been traveling with others and learned some social skills. 

"W-Weak? You're calling me weak? I'll show you who's weak! Come on!" Akane went into a basic stance. 

P-Ranma sighed as he assessed her skill and power level, which wasn't that much higher than Sam Ryker's. Jeanette's skills were much higher. However, it was apparent that Akane wasn't going to back down, so... 

"Oh, all right. If you can beat Raiden, or last at least one minute against him, then I'll give you a match." 

"Pikachu!" Raiden hopped down and took his own stance. 

"You're nothing but a coward if you're going to let your own animals fight your battles for you!" Akane sneered at the little rodent. Though she thought it was cute, it didn't compare to her sweet little P-Chan. 

P-Ranma shook his head as he calmly replied to her remark. "I consider Raiden not only as my Pokémon and my best friend, but also as my best student. I take my role as his trainer and sensei very seriously and judge the performance of my other Pokémon and opponents in comparison to his skills. I taught him everything he knows, and he taught me a few things as well. If you can't even hold your own against him, then there would be no point in you challenging me to a match. Now are you going to accept Raiden's challenge or are YOU afraid that you're going to lose to him?" 

That last quip got Akane's temper steaming as she angrily tensed up and spat back. "Fine then! This won't take more than ten seconds! YOU won't even last that long!" 

P-Ranma shrugged as he bent down to his Pikachu and gave some last minute instructions. "Anything Goes Raiden, but NO electric attacks during this match, got that?" 

"Chu!" Raiden nodded as he faced off against Akane. 

Trainer then gave the signal for the match to begin. 

Akane charged at Raiden with the intent of a quick knockout, but... 

**_WHAM! BAM! CRASH! _**

Akane found herself in a very large hole in the floor with her feet sticking up as Raiden dusted off his paws. 

"OW! NO FAIR! I WASN'T READY! THAT STUPID, FAT RAT CHEATED!" 

Now there were three things that one should never call a Pikachu. Fat, rat and especially... stupid. 

"Pika... CHUUUUU!!!!" 

**_ZZZZZAAAAAAAAPPPPP!!!_**

Akane was now smoking a bit as Raiden trotted off. 

"Raiden! I said no electric attacks." Trainer scolded. 

"Pika! Pika pika chu!" 

P-Ranma thought for a moment, then shrugged as Raiden ascended up his arm to his shoulder. "You're right. I didn't say that you couldn't shock her AFTER the match." He then looked back to where Akane was still sprawled and gestured to his watch. "Three-point one seconds, Akane. Better train harder. The girls I travel with can at least hold their own for thirty seconds against Raiden!" 

"Pika!" Raiden smiled as they headed toward the kitchen. Maybe that nice Kasumi girl had more of those rice balls. At that moment, Care-Bot Unit 7 appeared to fix the hole in the floor. 

---------- 

Ranma shook his head. Akane HAD been asking for that one. However, he also knew just how stubborn she was when she set her mind to something and if one Ranma wasn't going to fight her, then she'd try the others. 

---------- 

Flashback to that same day... 

"What? Are you kidding?" Kojiro said after being challenged to a match. "You REALLY want to spar against me?" 

Akane was still trying work off steam after being beaten by P-Ranma's Pikachu. The fact that the rodent shocked her afterwards had been adding insult to injury. She needed to pound on something and one Ranma was as good as another. 

"Well... are you just going to stand there or are you going to fight? Or are you just scared that...?" 

**_SLASH!_**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Akane screamed after she looked down and saw that her gi was now in a pile of tatters at her feet, along with her bra. She was only clad in her panties as she covered up her chest with her arms. Kojiro was now standing behind her facing away and in a slight crouch with hands extended like claws. He stood up and glanced over his shoulder. 

"Too slow, reflexes are like a dead slug's, defense is nonexistent, and..." He gave her a once-over and shrugged. "Nothing else you have is anything to get excited about." To Kojiro, Ukyo had a better figure and he also knew of some very comely Felinar females as well. 

Akane's face was beet red as Kojiro casually walked away. Care-Bot Unit 7 then jetted into the dojo and used the built-in broom and dustpan in its body to sweep up the remains of Akane's clothes. It then jetted away, leaving Akane in her still stunned state. 

---------- 

Ranma sighed again. Just what was Akane thinking? Did she really think that she could beat him; a true master of the Neko Ken? Did she expect Kojiro was going to leap into her lap and purr, just because he knew the Cat Fist? 

Of course, if at first you don't succeed... 

---------- 

Another flashback... 

"I really don't think this is a good idea..." Draco said as he and Akane faced each other in the dojo. 

"Shut up and fight!" Akane growled as she tensed up and then charged at him. 

**_CRASH! _**

Akane was seeing pretty birdies in the back yard as she was sprawled on her back near the koi pond. Back in the dojo, Draco stood with one arm held out and his index finger extended while gazing out at the Akane-shaped hole that the youngest Tendo had made in her abrupt exit. 

_Whoops! Put a little too much into that one! I'm so used to fighting B-Ko's mecha and sparring against A-Ko!_

At that moment, Care-Bot Unit 7 jetted into the dojo. 

"Care-Bot Unit 7 is online. Now beginning repairs to dojo wall." 

---------- 

_Man! Did Akane actually THINK she had a chance against someone who is half-dragon? Herb was gave ME a tough time and he was descended from dragons!_

Of course, Akane still kept on trying... 

---------- 

Flashback... 

Koga had just wanted some peace and quiet as he sat down in the middle of the dojo and played on his silver flute. His sixth and seventh sense then alerted him that someone was entering the dojo, but he continued on playing as he ascertained that it was only Akane. 

Akane's temper had hit new highs as she glared at the Ranma sitting on the floor and ignoring her. She started yelling at him and telling him to get up and face him, but the blind Ranma continued on playing as if she wasn't there. After a minute or so of trying verbally goad him into a match with no results, she decided on a more physical approach. She aimed a punch at B-Ranma's head. This always got the native Ranma's attention. 

**_WHAM! WHOMP! THUMP!_**

Akane couldn't understand it. How did she end up lying on her stomach and paralyzed with B-Ranma sitting cross-legged on her back, still playing that flute? She had even registered him getting up from his sitting position. 

Koga continued on playing his flute while perched on his new seat cushion. 

---------- 

_I STILL don't know how he did that!_ Ranma wondered. 

---------- 

One more flashback... 

"Ow." Akane groaned as she once again found herself in pain and sprawled in a deep hole in the floor of the dojo. T-Ranma simply wagged his pinky at her. 

"Well that was fun. I needed to practice my Galforian Galactic Digit Fighting. See you later." 

---------- 

Being beaten by someone's index finger was humiliating enough, but being defeated by the baby finger was worse. As of now, Akane was sulking in her room and refused to see anyone. Ranma did feel a pang of pity, though he too had often teased Akane about her less than stellar skills in the martial arts. To be thoroughly humiliated by five replicas of himself probably made her self-esteem as a martial artist reach its lowest point. 

Akane had been very proud of the fact that she was the best fighter in Nerima, until Ranma came along and blew that out of the water. Then along came the other girls and their skills in Amazonian Wu Shu, Okonomiyaki-style, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Martial Arts Figure Skating, Martial Arts School of Delivery Service and all those other styles, which easily beat her further down on the martial arts scale. During the time that Ranma had come to Nerima, Akane's status had been moved from top of the line, to the bottom of the barrel. Now with five masters of their own art living at the Tendo dojo, his easy to anger fiancée wasn't even considered noteworthy. 

---------- 

In that place beyond places... 

Ranma Red sighed as he and his brother watched what was happening in that reality. 

"You know, I think those five are overdoing it a bit." 

Ranma Blue nodded while shrugging. "Well, what do you expect? Unlike our Akane, this own is even slower to learn from her mistakes and has almost no control over that temper. She's never had to take responsibility for the consequences of her own actions. Ranma either saves her or takes the fall. Soun pretty much ignores the abuse that she puts on Ranma every day and even Kasumi has given up on making Akane change. She explodes at the slightest provocation or whatever she interprets as an insult to her. However, unlike the native Ranma, the other five won't take any of her abuse or temper tantrums." 

"We both know that Akane isn't really a bad sort, but it looks like she's going to be eating a LOT of crow for the next half-year." 

"It's too bad that we can't send anyone to make her see that her treatment of Ranma isn't the way to go. In her current time line, she's headed for a very sad ending." 

Ranma Red then became silent for a moment, then cocked his head to one side with a whimsical look. "Hmmm, why not?" 

Ranma Blue looked at his brother with confusion. "Huh?" 

"Why not send someone over to have a chat with Akane?" 

"What?! Are you serious?" 

I don't see any reason why we shouldn't. After all, the rules state that we can't DIRECTLY interfere with this Ranma's time line. That's why we sent those five versions of ourselves. Now why not send over a version of Akane who actually learned from her mistakes and let her give this Akane some pointers on how to make her life get turned around." 

"Do you realize how tall that order is? Most of the time lines that we've scanned all have Akane as a violent maniac! Our Akane was like that and she had to die before she changed!" 

"Then that's who we'll send." 

"Huh?" 

"Who better to give Akane some advice than another Akane who has learned that violence and anger is not the way?" 

Blue was about to protest further, then thought about it. "Well, you've got a point there, I suppose. But, I don't know if Kami-sama would allow that..." 

^^ YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION. ^^ 

The Twins were both startled at the sound of Kami-sama's voice, then blinked at each other before Ranma Blue sent out a silent message to the Akane of their reality. 

---------- 

"So that's who you want me to talk to?" DD-Akane asked as she looked through the dimensional viewing portal. She was now in her late thirties and had allowed her hair to grow down to her waist. Her face had become more defined and the look in her eyes showed that she had long experience, both in life and the martial arts. "Good grief, was I EVER like that?" The Akane of the twins' reality stared in disbelief as her younger counterpart displayed childish temper tantrums and very little control or discipline. 

"You really have to ask us THAT?" Ranma Blue said. "After what we all went through?" 

"Sorry, I really don't want to be reminded of what I was like back then." DD-Akane said as she watched the time line of her other self unfold. "So what exactly happened to this Akane?" 

"Well, this is what happened to everyone if things were left alone in this reality." Ranma Red gestured to a timeline that branched off from the one they were viewing. 

DD-Akane frowned as she saw the final outcome and the tragic ending to the relationship between Ranma and her other self in this reality. "And Kami-sama wants this to be avoided?" 

"Yep. That's why he assigned us to this task." Ranma Blue affirmed. "Since we know what he's going through now, and we have the power to help him, Kami-sama decided that we'd be the right choice to handle this matter. This reality is very important to the space-time continuum. We have to make certain that this Ranma survives. As a result, he's GOT to learn a few things. However, it wouldn't hurt for the other girls to learn a few things as well. Kojiro is helping out Ukyo, while Shampoo is getting a few lessons from Koga." 

"Yeah. My brother and I think that this Akane might benefit from a little advice from her better self. Namely you." 

"Well... I guess I can point her in the right direction." DD-Akane said as she considered the assignment. 

"Just don't make her look better than the other girls, Akane. Kami-sama did state that Ranma is to be given the choice of who he marries. Those five counterparts that we sent to his world are only there to help him out with his problems and give him the opportunity to make his own choices in life." Ranma Blue warned. 

DD-Akane nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not going to make her into a super-martial artist, best cook or something, because I know that it will only go to her head. I remember how cocky I was whenever I was became better than anyone else. Thankfully, Cologne drilled it into me that there will ALWAYS be someone better. This Akane expects that everything will just be handed to her. She could use the lesson that if she truly wants something, then she's going to have to earn it like everyone else." 

"Don't go too hard on her. Just... push in the right direction." Ranma Blue reminded. 

"I'll try, but it will be strictly up to her if she takes my... advice." 

"That's all we can expect from her." Ranma Red said as he began casting a spell. 

---------- 

Meanwhile, back in that particular reality... 

"You know, you guys really shouldn't have gone overboard like that! I mean, Pops IS an idiot and all, but you guys..." Ranma said. 

"Hmpf! As far as we're concerned, he got off easy!" Kojiro growled as he and the other Ranmas were having a snack in the complex. "He's lucky that he's still breathing after that stunt he and Akane's father tried to pull!" 

"I'll say!" Koga agreed. "He actually THOUGHT that we'd go along with that crazy scheme!" 

---------- 

Flashback to three nights ago... 

The Tendo family with Genma and Ranma saw the five other Ranmas enjoying a very good meal at a restaurant and decided to join them. The otherworldly Ranmas had no complaints about them joining them and invited them to sit with them while asking the waiter to bring some more menus. 

"Hey people! Nice to see you all here." Draco said as the Tendos and Saotomes took their seats. 

"Hello Draco, everyone. It is very nice to see you all here." Kasumi said. "Father had decided to treat us all to dinner tonight. What a very nice coincidence that we would find you here at the same restaurant that Father was planning to take us." 

The five Ranmas became a bit tense at hearing this and had a feeling that something was up. With both Genma and Soun together, both Koga and Kojiro were well aware that they must have some hare-brained scheme in the works. They already had informed their other selves of their own experiences with the less-than-dynamic duo, and warned them for any half-baked plans that involved them. 

As the rest of the Ranmas finished with their meals, the Tendos and Saotomes were busy digging into their dinners. For a while, all seemed peaceful as the Ranmas quietly made small talk with everyone. Akane simply ignored the five as she still remembered her humiliating defeats. Then, as Genma and Soun watched the five, they noticed the glances that Kasumi was giving T-Ranma. Nabiki was also a bit nervous at looking at the technological Ranma, but she did seem fascinated by the slitted pupils of Draco's eyes. The two idiots mistook these glances as sure signs. That was when they decided to drop the bomb. 

Soun called for attention by striking the side of his glass with a spoon, then stood up with his drink. "As head of the Tendos, I would like to propose a toast to our guests and welcome them. Genma and myself look forward to the day when both Prototype and Draco officially joins our Ranma in uniting the Schools of the Anything Goes." 

"Huh?" Draco said. 

"Excuse me?" Prototype inquired. 

Soun took on a stoic air as Genma backed him up. "Genma and I had solemnly made a pledge to unite our children in marriage and ensure the future of the Anything Goes. Akane will marry Ranma, and we had decided that Kasumi and Nabiki shall be engaged to Prototype and Draco, respectively. This way, the bond between our families shall be three times as strong and..." 

"No." Prototype said simply as he stood up with hands on the table. 

"Not interested." Draco affirmed as he too stood up in defiance. 

Genma ignored their protests as he and Soun began prematurely celebrating. "Oh, isn't this wonderful Tendo?" 

"Yes. It's perfect and..." 

"Didn't you hear us? We SAID NO!" Prototype said as he causally slammed a hand on the table. However, with his superhuman strength, that caused the table to collapse, causing the dishes and food to come crashing onto the floor. The other Ranmas also stood up angrily and glared at the two as the rest of the group looked on. 

"But it's a matter of honor that all the Saotome children marry..." Soun began. 

"There's a few details that you're forgetting!" Prototype growled. "First of all, we're not interested in getting engaged to anyone at this point and we're certainly not going to get engaged against our will!" 

"That's right!" Draco gritted as his battle aura began to glow. "It's bad enough that the Genma is trying to railroad me into an engagement back home, but I'm not going to put up with that nonsense here!" 

Soun became a bit nervous as he stuttered out, "Oh, well if you two aren't interested, then perhaps the others..." 

"NOT A CHANCE!" P-Ranma said without hesitation. 

"NO WAY!" Kojiro agreed. 

"NOT EVEN IN YOUR DREAMS!" Koga said. 

Genma became very irritated at this defiance and that's when his mouth moved a lot faster than his pea-sized brain. "Ranma! I will not put up with this refusal! It was a sacred oath that I made with Soun and two of you will follow through and marry his other two daughters! As your father I decide what is best for you and..." 

That was when Koga, Kojiro, Draco and P-Ranma's battle auras exploded into full intensity and Prototype saw that the situation was getting out of hand. 

"Er... guys! Remember that he's not your...." 

**_WHAM! CRASH! BAM! THUMP! ZZAP! FWOOSH! SIZZLE! KABOOM! CRASH! BOOM! KAPOW! SMASH! _**

"...father." 

---------- 

End of flashback... 

"Man! You guys really laid a number on Pops. It'll take him weeks to get out of the hospital , not to mention the damage that you did to that restaurant." 

"Hmpf! He deserved it." Draco said. "Imagine, he and Mr. Tendo actually thought that we'd go along with that, just because they said so." 

"What a pair of losers!" Kojiro remarked. 

"I'm glad that I'm never going back to my world if that's waiting for me." P-Ranma added. 

"Still..." Ranma said. "That wasn't a reason for you guys to go overboard like that. Pops and Mr. Tendo have done some really stupid things in the past, but Pops didn't deserve to be put out like that." 

Prototype nodded as he gave his other selves a disappointed gaze. "He's right guys. Now I know that most of you despise Genma in your own worlds, but keep in mind that he's NOT your father." 

"He acts just like him." Koga said. "He and Soun didn't even consider the fact that we won't be here forever, nor the fact that we don't respect Genma or any of his wishes. What a total moron!" 

Draco looked at Ranma with pity and said, "I don't see how you could have stayed with him for so long, when most of your problems are because of him and all those deals he's made." 

"Well... he is my POP and..." 

"And that's the main reason why we let him have it!" Kojiro cut him off. "We've all decided that we will never listen to Genma or go along with any of his ideas. He's the main cause of a lot of our problems back home. When your Genma said that we had to do as he said, just because he was our father, that's when we lost it. We've never listened to him before, and when he tried to use that 'you'll do as I say, because I'm your father' routine, well that's where we draw the line!" 

"That's right! We'll never go along with his orders. Not now, not ever!" Koga said with a bit of bitterness in his voice. 

Ranma was about to say something else, but saw that the others were going to brook no further argument. 

---------- 

The end of the week... 

"Well guys, it's been a week and we've observed our native self and his world. So what do you think?" Prototype asked as he and the other Ranmas were discussing Ranma underneath a tree at Furinkan High. However, they had one more person listening in on their conversation. Ranma was hiding behind another tree nearby and was listening in on their conversation. 

Though Koga, Kojiro, Draco and Prototype all knew that he was there, they decided to let him hear their conversation as they began telling them about their opinions about him. 

"Can I speak freely?" Kojiro asked. 

"Go ahead." Prototype replied. 

"Well... to put it short, Ranma is a weenie." 

Ouch! 

"Isn't that a little extreme to call him that?" Prototype asked. 

"Well, you said I could speak freely, and that's how I feel about him." 

"Oh come on now, he's not THAT bad." 

Kojiro paused for a moment to think about it, then nodded. "All right, I'll admit that he isn't really a weenie, but he comes close. He takes a lot of crap every day, but he doesn't really do a thing to stop any of it. Most of the problems he has come right back to that worthless father of his! All he thinks about is martial arts! And I really don't like the way he treats the Ukyo here." 

"Well... I have to agree a little with you on that, Kojiro." Koga said slowly. " I don't really like the way he calls elder Cologne an old ghoul and how he treats Shampoo." 

Prototype held up his hand. "Now, now... let's not allow our emotions to get in the way. It sounds to me that you both are basing your opinions by comparing your lives with his. Keep in mind that this universe is not any of yours, so things that you know from your own realities may not apply here. I've noticed a few things about the Ukyo and Shampoo of this world. They're quite different from what you described them during our travels. I went over the recordings of this dimension and noted that Shampoo is quite devious and is willing to resort to underhanded tricks and potions to get what she wants, namely Ranma. And her great-grandmother is willing to do the same to see that Amazon Law is upheld. Ukyo can be quite devious herself and she has tried a few schemes." 

Koga frowned a bit, and had to admit that this world's Shampoo wasn't like the one he knew of. "I'll admit that she's not like my cousin, but..." 

"But you'd like to see her as happy as the one in your world, right?" Prototype finished, then turned to Kojiro. "I'd would think that you'd like to see Ukyo just as happy, right?" 

"Yeah, well.. I know from first hand how much she suffered over the last ten years, and it really makes me mad the way Ranma doesn't seem to notice how much she feels about him. I don't approve of the stuff she's pulled to get Ranma but..." 

Prototype interrupted. "Hey guys! Like I said before, keep in mind that this isn't any of your realities, so stop trying to run Ranma's life for him. If he's anything like us, then I know he would resent our trying to force something onto him. What we're here today is to simply discuss his problems and try to give him some advice on how to get his life straightened out, or at least make it more bearable. I know that a lot of things about Ranma's life really disgusts you guys, but unlike the rest of us, he never got away from Genma and made all the mistakes that we worked hard in our lives to avoid. " 

Draco nodded. "I agree with Tekno. Those two girls had a chance to get Ranma in their worlds, so they had no reason to act the way that Shampoo and Ukyo are acting here. Shampoo grew up with Koga, while Ukyo has Kojiro as her official fiancé backed by the goddess Bastet, no less. Genma and Soun's promise don't hold a candle toward a deity's plans or against an entire village of Amazons." 

"True." Prototype agreed. "We really have to remember that this Ranma has never been able to make decisions for himself. Genma is usually the one who decided for him or certain situations come about and force themselves on him without him having any say in the matter." 

"You know, after seeing how much his father had screwed up his life with his broken promises and poor decisions, I've always wondered why he never dumped that panda sooner, or at least get away from him for a while. I did after what happened to me in Jusenkyo." P-Ranma said as he casually stroked his Pikachu behind the ears. 

"Pika!" Raiden agreed. In the Pokémon world, a Pokémon had the choice to abandon its trainer if he or she proved to be too abusive or caused trouble. There had been several cases of that happening. 

T-Ranma shrugged. "Well, he's spent ten years of his life with only his father as a role model, so that's the only life he knew. Out of all of us, both you and Kojiro had the most similar life to Ranma's, up to the point of Jusenkyo. Let me ask the two of you this question. Why didn't you guys leave him sooner when you realized that he was an idiot? After all, I'm pretty sure that you two realized that Genma didn't always have both his oars in the water, sometime along the way, right? Probably after that Cat Fist training, right?" When both Trainer and the Cat Fist did not immediately respond, T-Ranma nodded knowingly. "I thought as much. You both probably stayed with Genma out of a sense of loyalty or duty as his son, right? Now that's one good point that we can all agree on about Ranma. He's got a sense of honor and loyalty. That's something we can all relate to. After all, we are all martial artists." 

Reluctantly, the others nodded. 

"All right then. Let's have no more personal bias influencing our observations and judgments about him. We're here only to talk about his problems, okay?" 

The others all took a deep breath, then nodded. In his hiding place, Ranma leaned a bit closer to listen in on their conversation but frowned as he still couldn't hear a thing. 

"Well, to start off with, Ranma could really use a few lessons with etiquette. I mean, his tact and social skills are deplorable!" Koga began. "Just over this week alone, I counted one hundred and ninety-seven inappropriate remarks, most of which got him pounded by Akane. If my own Amazon mother heard stuff like that coming out of MY mouth... well, let's just say that she'd wash out my mouth with more than just soap!" 

"Yes, I will admit that he does suffer from terminal foot-in-mouth disease. However, he's been raised by Genma, so he's probably been taught to retaliate against any kind of attack, verbal, physical or otherwise. You and Draco were lucky since you grew up with someone that taught you social skills. As for the rest of us, we had to learn the hard way that saying some things can be inappropriate. In fact... some of us are still working on it." 

"What do you mean?" Kojiro asked. 

"Well... I'm not being insulting or anything, but..." T-Ranma began. "you and Trainer do have a tendency to speak your minds, though you both have the power to back up your words. Kojiro has the Neko Ken, and Trainer has the support of his Pokémon. As for me... I went through a lot of galaxies and met up with thousands of different races. I also have this biocomputer in my head to help me on a few situations." He tapped his temple with an index finger. "What does Ranma have? Nothing but whatever he learned from Genma, which isn't much." 

"Speaking of what Ranma has, how about the things that he doesn't have?" Trainer said. 

"Such as?" Draco asked. 

"Oh, how about a sense of independence and the ability to make his own choices?" 

"Ooh, that was low." Kojiro said as he winced. 

"True, but he does raise a valid point." Prototype said. "Ranma could use some lessons in self-reliance and being able to make his own decisions. Then again, we have Genma to blame for that too. He's made all the choices in Ranma's life and never allowed his son to think for himself. In fact, it seems to me that Genma considers Ranma as nothing more than a meal ticket or a way of getting something without earning it. All those broken promises and engagements are proof of that." 

"Hey, I thought we were supposed to keep our own opinions about Ranma to ourselves." Draco remarked. 

Prototype nodded. "Well, I will admit that it is very difficult, but you have to agree that Genma is one very poor negotiator and makes most of his decisions based on his stomach. And you've all seen Ranma's past history up to this point. Imagine selling out his own son for a fish, a bowl of rice and two pickles! The fact that he never upheld the bargain doesn't make it any better." 

"Yeah, and don't forget, he STOLE Ukyo's dowry." Kojiro added with emphasis. 

Prototype gave his Neko Ken counterpart a slight glare, warning him to keep things objective. Though he had to concur that Kojiro raised a valid point. "True enough. Genma is a hypocrite when it comes to honor, and he seems to only use it to serve his own ends. And I believe that's how he's goading Ranma into following that pledge to the Tendos. Frankly, I'm surprised that Ranma has quite a strong sense of honor, despite having only Genma as a role model." 

"Hmpf!" Koga snorted. "Honor means absolutely nothing to Genma except as a tool to use to control Ranma and an inconvenience to disregard when it works against him." 

"Koga..." Prototype warned, seeing that emotions were coming into play again. 

"I know that you want us to focus on only the problems that are giving Ranma so much trouble, but let's face it, Genma is mostly to blame for them. You guys know about my special abilities to sense the inner character of others, right? I've already given Genma the once over, and he's pretty much the same as the Genma in my world or the ones that inhabit each of your own. He's an opportunistic, greedy and total idiot... plain and simple. That stunt he and Mr. Tendo tried to pull on us and engage two of us to Nabiki and Kasumi is proof of that. He saw that we could handle Happosai and the fact that we are masters of our own Art. He didn't even consider things such as the fact that we won't be here forever, nor the fact that we have more than enough power to say to no. Nope, he just tried to force it on us because he actually BELIEVED that we would be like his Ranma. He tried to use that 'honor line' on us and said that as our 'father', we have to obey. Well, we never listened to Genma in our own realities, so what made him think that we'd listen to him now?" 

"I'll admit, that was quite foolhardy of him." 

"Right, and though we were wrong in beating him down like that, you have to admit that he had that coming. That's Genma's biggest flaw in which I'm afraid that Ranma has learned from him. I've already sensed much of Genma in him. Genma NEVER thinks about the consequences of his actions and will not take RESPONSIBILITY for his actions. He's only concerned with the quick fix or instant reward. That's why he's made so many bad deals in which Ranma is expected to pay. In fact, he's quite happy to let his son take responsibility to save his own hide. I mean, we all know what happened when Ukyo met Ranma again and how Genma said that it was all his son's fault for choosing okonomiyaki over Ukyo. Ranma had told me that he never remembered any of that... and do you know what? I believe him. My senses have told me that he was telling the truth. I certainly don't remember any of that in my lifetime either. How about you guys?" 

Draco, Kojiro and Trainer all shook their heads as Prototype considered Koga's words. "So are you saying that Genma made that all up?" 

"It's possible, but then again, we may not have any conscious memory of it. However, there are other examples that proves that Genma will do just about anything to save his own skin, even if it means letting his son take the blame. When Happosai showed up, Genma gladly offered Ranma instead of letting that lech choose him or Mr. Tendo as the heir. When the dojo was in financial troubles, he was more than willing to accept Kodachi's money and get Ranma hooked up with her, despite the fact that he made that promise with the Tendos. I could go on and on, but you guys get the idea. If you want any suggestions on how to help Ranma improve on his life, then the first thing on the agenda is for him to do what we did, and get away from Genma. Genma's going to continue screwing things up for him if he doesn't." 

"That IS something to take under consideration." Prototype agreed. "By the way, what exactly did you mean that Ranma has learned Genma's biggest flaw?" 

Koga sighed. "It's just that. Ranma has learned from Genma to act without really thinking. I know that we're not perfect, but we've made some decisions that we can be proud of, right? As for our native counterpart, he doesn't seem to have much control with his mouth and that usually leads him into trouble, especially with Akane. He's also made some very poor decisions, especially when something came up that might cure him of his curse. He seems only interested in the quick fix or instant reward, and doesn't think very much of long-term consequences. I do agree with your decision not to tell Ranma or any of the others about the fact that we can either control or cure Jusenkyo curses." 

"Thank you." Prototype said. "And examples of his behavior of not thinking things through?" 

"Well... I suppose that over the past week, he's been pestering each of you to teach him how do some of your martial arts techniques right?" The four others nodded. "Well, if we were to teach him some of our techniques, then how will that help him in his other problems? Will a new technique solve his fiancée problems, help him with that seppuku pledge with his mother, or get rid of all the enemies and rivals that keep attacking him for no valid reason? No, they won't. They won't help in the slightest! He's learned quite a few powerful moves, but they've not made life easier for him. Besides, most of our techniques can't be taught to him! He can't stand the sight of a cat, so learning the Ultimate Neko Ken is out. I don't think he'd want to give up his sight to learn the Unseen Light. He doesn't have nanites or dragon blood running through his veins, and he'd need to become a Pokémon trainer to get the true power of Trainer's techniques. Learning a new technique won't help his social skills nor solve any of his current problems. You said that yourself , Prototype! However, since he's been taught that martial arts is the only important thing in life, he has absolutely no idea on how to handle things outside of the fight. He's only concerned with improving his skills and isn't thinking of anything else! He's got a one-track mind and pretty soon, he going to be derailed!" 

"Yeah, well I for one, can't help but feel sorry for him." Trainer said. "After all, I know what it's like, since I have the same curse as he does. Unlike him though, I have a way of controlling it." Trainer absently fingered the Water Stone Pendant that he always wore. 

Ranma caught the movement and wondered as he strained to listen in on their conversation. They all had his backs to him and he couldn't read their lips. He then focused on the pendant that Trainer wore and began to suspect. Was that the reason why Trainer never changed whenever he got splashed with cold water? Was it some kind of magical item that canceled out the curse? Ranma became even more excited as he began thinking about how to get a hold of it, disregarding Koga's statement that he didn't think about long-term consequences. 

T-Ranma then decided to wrap up the discussion for the day. "Well, it seems that we all agree that Genma is a major factor toward Ranma's behavior, and getting him away from his influence might help. Though spending some more time with Ranma might give us a better idea on how to help him. That is... if he accepts our help." 

"I don't know... he seems to be a lot on the stubborn side." Koga said. "I have a feeling that he may not take to our advice and resist." 

"It's up to him whether to accept what we're offering him. We'll give him a few incentives to at least listen, and we might even show him that taking control of his own life is a heck of a lot better than letting his father run and ruin it." 

"Hey! How about letting him live with us in the complex for a while?" Trainer suggested. "That's an idea." T-Ranma nodded. "A little time away from Genma might do him a world of good. In any case, that's all for today." 

The other's nodded as T-Ranma dispersed the sound suppression field and motioned for the others to follow him into Furinkan High. 

"By the way, guys... did all of you notice that Ranma was behind that tree?" T-Ranma asked in a whisper. 

"I sensed him when he came into the school yard." Koga shrugged. 

"Smelled him before he got within a hundred feet." Kojiro said. 

"I sensed his curse." Draco affirmed. 

"Raiden smelled him too." Trainer said. 

As the otherworldly Ranmas headed toward the school, Ranma stood and wondered about them. However, his attention was mostly centered on the pendant that Trainer wore around his neck. His eyes gleamed at the possibility of ridding his curse was within his reach. Now how was he going to get a hold of it? 

Meanwhile, at the place beyond places... 

"Oh boy! I can see that this is going to turn into a madhouse pretty soon!" Ranma Blue said as he saw what was going to happen. 

"Well, we knew that those five were going to get into a lot of chaos when they came in. And they do have their work cut for them with this Ranma" 

"Well, our Akane has her work cut out with her counterpart as well." Ranma Blue said as he glanced toward where DD-Akane was about to enter the dimensional gateway that he and his brother had created. "Remember Akane, just a few nudges! And keep a low profile, okay? We have to have this business done before... it comes for Ranma." 

"Right." The older and far more mature Akane said as she turned and gave her husband Shinnosuke a kiss before entering the gate. 

To be continued... 

Author's notes 

Well, this story is now winding toward it's climax as the five Ranmas will TRY to help the canon Ranma. Now as the danger to Ranma's life... well, we'll find out later. I also have a few surprises in store in the next few chapters. Stay tuned!


	17. Chapter 12

**The Great Crossover Crisis **

Discalaimer: Ranma and company are not mine. I think that says it all. What? You were expecting a grand production? 

[" "]: Chinese Language   
: Thoughts   
(* *): Computer responses 

D-Ranma: Dragon Child (Draco)

P-Ranma: Fist of the Pikachu (Trainer, Ash) 

T-Ranma: Ranmatech (Prototype, Tekno) 

Kojiro: Cat Fist Fury 

B-Ranma: Fighting Blind (Koga) 

Ranma: The original 

DD-Akane: Akane from Dual Destinies 

**Chapter 12 **

**Making Some Changes**

_**KABOOM!**_

"There they go again." T-Ranma sighed as he and Draco were stranding on the sidelines of the main training area. They were watching Koga and Kojiro leap at each other, each trying to outperform his opponent. 

"This is their... what, one thousandth sparring session since they met?" Draco asked. 

"One thousand and twelve." Prototype replied as he glanced over his shoulder and saw Trainer and Ranma walking toward them. Both were rubbing their eyes after awakening. As always, the Pikachu was perched on Trainer's shoulder. 

"Hey guys. What's up?" Draco greeted. 

"What's with all the racket?" Ranma asked. Usually, he could sleep through an earthquake, but with his senses attuned to ki energies, he was quickly awakened when Koga and Kojiro started throwing multiple blasts and used advanced techniques. It had been a week since he had been invited to stay with his counterparts in the complex. Naturally, Genma had voiced out his disapproval, but with a few... convincing arguments from the other Ranmas, the panda soon came around to their way of thinking. Not that Prototype or his look-alikes gave him much of a choice. 

It didn't take long for Ranma to move into the complex. He was all for living with his other selves, and it would be a welcomed change of pace to be with people who actually understood him. Then again, they were him after all. However, to his disappointment, they had yet to teach him any of their techniques, nor was he able to get a hold of Trainer's Water Stone Pendant. Whenever he asked about it, the Pokémon trainer and martial artist would just change the subject. Ranma didn't give up though. He was almost one hundred percent certain that the pendant was the key to solving most of his current problems. The trick was how to get his hands on it. He had considered sneaking into P-Ranma's room and just take it, but that idea did not have much merit. For one thing, though he had considerable thieving skills from his ten-year training journey, he wasn't very keen on stealing, especially when he later learned that those so-called innocent games that Genma had taught him were against the law and totally wrong. When he was young, his father had told him to take things from people and have them chase after him, as part of his training regimen. If they couldn't catch him, then whatever he took was his for the keeping. When he grew older and learned that what he had done in the past was criminal, he came to realize that he was actually hurting people and stopped playing those 'games.'

Ranma was no saint. Though he never stole outright from others since then, he had done a few things in the past which would cause one to question his morals. He had sunk to very low levels when he tried to con and later steal that magic wishing sword from Kuno. Then there was that so-called waterproof soap of Shampoo's and that instant nannichuan. Then there was that map to Japan's Spring of Drowned Man. During those times, he had rationalized his actions, saying that Kuno and Shampoo had deceived him and caused him a lot of grief, so therefore they did not really count. The same thing went with Ryoga. But, when he later thought about it, it was... deceitful and would probably be what Genma would have done. 

The thought of him becoming just like his father often gave Ranma the willies. Genma was a greedy, self-serving idiot, who would and HAD sold out his son on many occasions to get what he wanted without earning it. He was also not above letting his son take the consequences and didn't think far enough ahead, being only concerned with the quick fix and instant reward. 

At that point, Ranma remembered back to what his other selves said about how they felt about that panda and did not bother to hide their disgust about how Ranma had never gotten away from his father. Well, all except the oldest member of the group, who was polite and mature enough to keep his distaste of Genma to himself. At that moment, he began thinking about his future. Did he really want to end up like his father? At present, being anything like Genma was hazardous. Ranma's father had been receiving a series of beatings since the five other Ranmas came, but he had to admit that his father had been asking for it. 

That time he tried to break into Prototype's ship should have been enough of a warning to Genma not to trifle with them. However, like the moron that he was, Genma just had to keep pushing it. He tried to get two of them engaged to Kasumi and Nabiki, which also met with extremely painful consequences. His most recent bonehead maneuver occurred just two days ago... 

---------- 

Flashback... 

"PIKA... CHUUUUU!" 

_**ZZZZAAAAAAPPPP!**_

"MACHOP!" 

_**WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!**_

"GOLDUCK!" 

_**SPLOOSH! **_

"NEIGH!" 

**_FWOOSH! _**

"PIDGOOO!" 

"YOW!" 

"SLASH!" 

_**RIP! TEAR! REND!**_

We now see a bruised, frazzled, smoking, and very badly mauled panda lying on the floor as a couple of businessmen ran off with their briefcases of money. Surrounding the battered idiot of a martial artist were P-Ranma's Pokémon, all of which were powering up their auras for a second barrage. At that moment, Trainer stomped toward Genma, waving off his Pokémon to stand aside as he picked up Ranma's father by the front of his gi and shook him back to consciousness. 

As soon as Genma opened his eyes, Ash shouted in his face while continually shaking him like a rag doll. 

"NOW LISTEN HERE! I KNEW YOU WERE AN IDIOT, BUT THIS TIME YOU WENT TOO FAR! IF YOU TRY TO SELL MY POKÉMON JUST ONE MORE TIME, THEN I'LL STUFF YOU INTO A POKEBALL! THE HARD WAY!" 

There was a huge explosion of ki as P-Ranma used his Hyper Beam to send Genma soaring into the stratosphere. Half the roof was blown off, but by that afternoon, Care-Bot Unit Seven had it repaired. As for Genma, it took him until early the next morning to get back to Nerima. 

End of Flashback... 

---------- 

Ranma shuddered as he remembered how angry Trainer was when someone tried to take something of his. That was the second reason why Ranma did not try to steal the Pendant as of yet. P-Ranma was pretty powerful in his own right and his Pokémon were extremely protective of him and his property. Though Ranma had battled Mousse, Kuno, and Ryoga on a regular basis; and had even taken on more powerful foes such as Cologne, Happosai, Pantyhose and the dragon prince of the Musk Dynasty, Herb, the fact was that Trainer was no pushover. 

Ranma winced as he remembered the pain he felt when Ash nailed him with that Thunderblast Bomb attack of his. The Pokémon trainer had also displayed a wide array of different techniques and seemed to always be creating more. What Ranma didn't know was that during the trip through dimensions, P-Ranma had been constantly battling and training with the others. His skills had substantially improved since joining up with his other selves. With every new challenge appearing nearly every day, the five Ranmas had no trouble with keeping their skills up and improving on them. 

Ranma sighed as he thought back to how was going to get at that pendant. Stealing it was out of the question. It would feel like stealing from himself and he could understand how any one of the Ranmas would be upset if one of their own betrayed their trust. The fact that they insisted that Ranma stay with them in the complex said much of their faith in him. 

The pigtailed martial artist did enjoy their company, but he would always feel uneasy when they started giving him advice on how to act and encouraging him to go out with the other girls. The situation between Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo was already volatile and he didn't want things to explode any further, but his other selves just wouldn't give up. And it wasn't just his girl problems that they kept on addressing. They seemed quite determined to educate him in things that did not involve the martial arts... 

---------- 

A few days later... 

"I don't know about this Koga. I mean, should we really be going to the Cat Cafe?" 

The blind fighter shrugged and replied. "Pardon the pun, but I really don't _SEE_ why not. It's lunchtime and I'm in the mood for some good ramen. In any case, you don't have any lunch with you. That is, unless you were actually planning to _EAT_ that lunch that Akane tried to hand to you this morning. Well, were you?" 

Ranma winced as he remembered the lunch that Akane had whipped for him. Emphasis on the word 'whipped' as she had beaten and slugged the gooey mass into the bento before holding it down while tying it up. His father and Soun were instantly on his case when he tried to turn down the meal, holding him down and shouting at him to eat whatever his fiancee had made for him and like it, even if it killed him. In this case, it probably would have. 

---------- 

Flashback to that morning... 

Koga had just emerged from the complex and his sensitive nose instantly caught the odor of something extremely nauseous. His sense of smell was more acute than a shark's and could pick up scents as faint as one part per trillion. It was also developed enough to distinguish between different chemical compositions. It was like having a chemistry lab in his nose. 

Judging from what he could tell Akane's lunch was composed of, Koga realized that if Ranma ate that, then even the famous Saotome iron stomach and the blind fighter's impressive healing skills may not be able to save him. Sushi for lunch wasn't unusual, but blowfish? Akane should have known better than that. And the poisonous seafood was only part of the toxic concoction that the Tendo girl had created for her fiance. When his nose analyzed the rest of the lunch, Koga winced. Eating the blowfish toxin would probably be much safer than the rest of the bento. He had to act fast to save his counterpart. 

The blind Ranma had to make it look like an accident, so he quickly made a tiny dart appear in his hand. He then reached out with his senses for the weakest point in the bento box. He charged up the dart with ki, and with a quick flick of the wrist, hurled the projectile toward his target. The dart was no bigger than a toothpick, but with the Delayed Breaking Point, it became a very effective weapon. The point of the dart made contact with the bento and delivered its payload of ki into the box, disintegrating into powder a moment after hitting it. 

Just as a smiling and proud Akane was handing her reluctant fiance her masterpiece of culinary delight, it suddenly sagged in the handkerchief and a cracking noise was heard. Akane cried out as the bento broke open and the gelatinous mass erupted from within, causing her to drop it. 

"Oh no! The lunch! I worked so hard on it!" Akane sobbed as she bent down to try and salvage it. However, the blob wanted nothing more to do with her and oozed away into the yard. 

Ranma sighed in relief as he saw that he had been saved from a face worse than death. "Aw that's too bad. Well, no use crying over spilled lunches. Oh, look at the time! I'm going to be late for school. Guess I'll have to wait until next time Akane, see ya!" 

Without another word, Ranma bolted from the scene, breaking out of the stranglehold that Soun and Genma had him and left a trail of dust in his wake. 

"Ranma no baka!" Akane shouted as she chased after him with the mallet. 

Koga sighed as his senses tracked them both. Akane's mallet was painful to swallow, but his counterpart would at least live through that experience. 

---------- 

End of flashback... 

Ranma shuddered again as he recalled how narrow an escape it had been. Since then, he had been avoiding Akane to allow her time to cool off. However, he was now faced with another dilemma. He was broke and his stomach was growling. Fortunately, B-Ranma had offered to treat him to lunch. However, when he realized that his sightless other self was leading him to the Cat Cafe, Ranma suspected that something was up. 

"I really don't know about this. If Akane finds out that I went to Shampoo, she..." 

"I can't understand why you're so against it." B-Ranma said with a smirk. "We're only going to have lunch, that's all. Besides, she can go without seeing you for one hour. You see her every day, so what's the problem? Besides, Shampoo is quite pretty, from what my fingers tell me and she is technically your fiancee as well." 

"That crazy chick ain't my fiancee! It's only because of those stupid Amazon Laws and because that old ghoul of hers..." Ranma suddenly stopped short when he felt an icy sensation wash over him. He looked at Koga and though his eyes were unchanged, his brows were furrowed and his mouth straightened into a hard line. His arms were crossed and he was giving him a cold expression that made Antarctica look like a tropical paradise. "Er, I mean... ah, well, I didn't... you know... ah, heh, heh. I ... I..." His voice trailed off as he realized that he had insulted both his counterpart and people that Koga regarded with great respect.

Koga took a deep breath and remembered back to what Prototype said about the people in this universe being different than the ones in his own. "Just for today, I'm going to let that one pass. However, I will not stand by and let you address Elder Cologne or Shampoo with anything less than the proper courtesy. It IS considered good manners, after all. Did Genma teach you nothing of social skills? As I recall, Cologne has done much for you, and she does have more than two hundred and eighty-four years of experience than you do. You could learn a lot from that kind of experience."

"Well, I..." 

Koga held up a hand. "As I said before, I'm going to let this one transgression pass. Remember though, her name is not 'old ghoul'. It is Cologne and my cousin's name is Shampoo, not 'crazy chick.' Understood?"

Ranma couldn't believe the intensity his other self was radiating and could only nod as they continued on their way to the Nekohanten. 

---------- 

"Ah! Son-in-laws!" Cologne greeted as she hopped on her cane to the front door. As per usual, the Nekohanten was bustling with business as it was a popular spot to come for lunch. At the moment, Mousse was out on an errand. Shampoo waved to the two and bounced her way toward them. She was so ecstatic of seeing two images of her beloved that she leaped up and glomped onto the both of them.

"Airen!" 

Ranma winced as he tried to push away from the Amazon's embrace while Koga chuckled a bit. When they finally disengaged, he spoke to this world's version of his cousin in Mandarin. ["It's good to be here again, Shampoo, but remember, I only LOOK like Ranma. I'm Koga, remember?"] 

Shampoo nodded as she apologized. ["Sorry about that, but I can't help it. You're just as cute as my darling here."] _Actually, you're even cuter._ Shampoo silently added as she led them to a booth. 

Ranma sat down as Koga addressed Cologne. ["Honored Elder, if you don't mind, I would like to have a private word with you."]

["But of course, Son-in-Law."] 

Koga wagged a finger at her. ["Ah, ah, ah. Koga, remember?"] 

["Heh. Well, you can't blame an old woman for some wishful thinking, can you?"] 

Koga gave her a warm smile as he addressed Shampoo. ["Shampoo, Ranma is starving and he could really use your best ramen. I'll be back in a few minutes to eat, so you can serve him first, okay?"] 

The purple-haired girl nodded as she bounced off. 

---------- 

A minute later, in the a small room behind the kitchen... 

["So what can I do for you, Son-in... I mean, Koga?"] 

["Honored Elder..."] 

Cologne held up a hand. ["Please. You can drop the formalities. As much as I enjoy being called 'Honored Elder,' instead of 'Old Ghoul,' I would very much appreciate it, if you were to just call me Cologne. You are after all, Jasmine's son and in a way, you are a part of my family."] She then added to herself, ["So what is on your mind?"] 

["What was your first impression of Ranma when you first met him?"] 

Cologne paused for a moment as she remembered back to her first encounter with Ranma. ["Well, I will admit, he was not quite as I expected. He was young, cocky, brash and seemed quite sure of himself. However, I also sensed some serious potential within him and he did surprise me on a few occasions."] 

Koga nodded as he began explaining. ["Elder, I mean... Cologne, my counterparts and I have observed your Ranma and, well.. .to put it bluntly, there's not really much about him that one could be proud of."]

["What do you mean? He's an excellent and talented warrior and is of a very strong bloodline. He'll make a welcome addition to the tribe and..."]

["Oh, I'm not saying that he's lacking in the martial arts department."] The blind fighter interrupted. ["I sensed great potential within him as well and he's destined for much greater things in the future. However, it seems that martial arts is the only thing that he thinks about. The only thing that is important in his life, and I fear that has made him woefully unprepared for the other aspects of the real world. I have a feeling that his upbringing under his father had a lot to do with his present behavior. When he becomes faced with something that is outside of the fight, he's about as ready to handle it as a fish is to mountain climbing. I'm certain that you are aware of his lack of social skills and his inability to be subtle?"] 

["Well, Son-in-Law does tend to... express himself a lot."] Cologne replied reluctantly. 

["In other words, he shoots off his mouth a lot, correct?"] 

Cologne sighed and nodded. ["Yes, he is... quite rude."] 

["And I take it that he has little to no experience with girls, despite the fact that he's half-girl himself?"]

["Well, I wouldn't say that..."]

["What would you say? From what the others have observed, Ranma seems to cling to outdated, chauvinistic ideals about manhood and about the opposite gender. He thinks of girls as weaker and won't cry. I also believe that this behavior is due to his upbringing under Genma. I on the other hand, do understand the strengths of others, regardless of gender. And crying is not unmanly if one sheds tears for a good reason. That's what my mother Jasmine had taught to me, for which I am thankful for."]

["You seem to have much insight for one who is lacking in sight."] 

B-Ranma nodded as he continued. ["In any case, I would think that Ranma might benefit from gaining the same kind of insight. He is sorely deficient in much of the kind of education a person his age should have. He ignores the 'signals' that his body is giving him, thinking them as perverted and not fitting in with his narrow-minded views."]

["Signals?"] Cologne asked with a knowing smile. 

B-Ranma nodded. ["He is far _TOO_ immature and thinks that any thoughts that are.... ahem, shall we say of an intimate nature toward girls to be perverted and is to be avoided. With so little experience in dealing with the... 'facts of life,' his father's influence, his girl curse and all the troubles he has now, it is no wonder that he is so against thinking of girls in any kind of..."] The blind fighter blushed as he tried to think of a way of explaining. He then said in a very low whisper, ["Well, I'm going to have to say it.... sexual content."] 

The elder chuckled at Koga's obvious embarrassment over such a delicate subject. ["And I suppose you are more... educated in things of that nature?"] 

The blind fighter's cheeks reddened even more as he replied while scratching the back of his head. ["Well, let's just say that I am quite aware of the... er, differences between males and females, both physically and emotionally. In any case, you have to admit that Ranma has not been exposed to any good role models or had any favorable experiences about that subject. You probably know more about Happosai than I do, and having a female body half the time would make Ranma unsure about his manhood. Then there's Akane and her abusive treatment of him whenever she sees him with Shampoo, Ukyo or any other girl. She's also calling him a pervert and inflicting severe physical injury whenever Ranma tries to be nice to her or has any intimate or sexual thoughts about the opposite sex.. Then there are the other suitors like Ryoga, Mousse and Kuno who keep attacking him whenever they see him with Akane or Shampoo. With so many negative results, I can understand why Ranma would prefer not to get involved with a girl. However, I can sense a great conflict that is occurring within him as all those repressed emotions are causing a heavy strain on him."]

["What do you mean?"] 

["Well, Ranma is past the age of what people call puberty, but he is actively resisting the feelings and reactions, which goes normally with the changes his body is undergoing. I think it is because he is so afraid of what might result and the fact that he's half-girl, that he just pushes all those emotions aside and focuses only on the martial arts. That is not helping him in his current situation. He is totally at a loss when dealing with situations that don't involve a fight and he is especially unprepared when it involves girls. Have you ever wondered why Ranma has not responded to Shampoo? I mean, she is a beautiful girl and any other boy would be falling over himself to be near her. So why hasn't he responded? The answer is simple. He doesn't know how and he's afraid of what might happen if he does respond."]

["I see..."] Cologne had sometimes wondered why Ranma always acted so childish and immature. Back in the village, Shampoo had more than her fair share of admirers, and one did not have to mention Mousse. In Japan, several of the customers had asked her for dates. However, whenever Shampoo tried to any romantic overtures toward Ranma, the Saotome boy would cringe away from Shampoo as if she was carrying the plague. Now that she thought about it, Koga's words made sense and it was quite unhealthy for Ranma to keep such emotions bottled up for too long. ["Exactly what are you suggesting?"]

["Well..."] B-Ranma thought for a moment. ["I think Ranma would have an easier time if he were taught that thinking of girls in a more sexual content is not entirely wrong and that it's only natural. I'm not suggesting that we force him to go on panty raids or some such nonsense, but it would help him be more comfortable around girls if he knew that the word S-E-X is a part of life and that he shouldn't shun it, just because of the few bad examples that he has seen. In other words, he needs to be... educated more on the relationship between males and females. Furthermore, my counterparts and I believe that Ranma should spend less time focusing on the martial arts and more on his other social skills. He's got to get out more often and be away from such influences like Genma and the Tendos. They are _NOT_ helping him in his development either. Soun Tendo is only concerned with uniting the schools. Kasumi, (bless her kind heart), does tend to ignore the bad things about people, but that in turn does not make any problems go away. The Nabiki in this dimension has yet to learn that her mercenary actions are hurting Ranma, and you already know about Akane. What my others selves and I agree on is that Ranma needs some time on his own to sort out his life."]

["Hmmm, that does seem like a good start. But, exactly how would this benefit Shampoo and I?"]

["I was wondering when you would ask that question."] Koga said. ["My counterparts and I have agreed that Ranma should be given the choice of which girl he wants to be with. Though we all have our own preferences, (personally, I would think that Shampoo would be his best choice), Prototype has reminded us that this is RANMA'S life, not ours. We are only here to help him grow, and I think that's what Ranma's needs the most, the chance to actually grow. That was the reason why we invited Ranma to stay with us in the complex. We are also going to give the other girls, including Shampoo, equal opportunities to spend time with Ranma, without anyone else interfering. That is the main advantage Akane has over the other girls, since Ranma lives at the Tendo home. Now what I want Shampoo to do is to ease back on her affection and let Ranma gradually get used to such emotions. I promise that she will have a good chance to catch him, just like all the other fiancees. IF she plays her cards right, then she might the one walking down the aisle beside him."] 

Cologne nodded as she considered the blind boy's suggestions. So far, all of her other schemes to get Ranma to marry Shampoo had ended in dismal failure. It couldn't hurt to try it this way. In any case, she had nothing better in mind and this venture was feasible.

["Very well, Koga. I will admit that Son-in-Law does need to learn a few things about life and this may also help Shampoo grow as well."] 

["Thank you, Cologne. Oh, and one more thing. I would suggest that you refrain from calling him Son-in-Law. Technically speaking, he isn't your son-in-law as of yet, and it is very clear that the name makes him uncomfortable. His name is Ranma, so please use it. I have already asked him to stop referring you as 'Old Ghoul.' It's only common courtesy that one addresses another by his or her proper name."]

["All right. If he calls me Cologne or Elder, then I shall call him... Ranma."] 

---------- 

Meanwhile...

As he had no classes to teach that day, Tekno found himself with some leisure time on his hands and decided to show the eldest Tendo daughter a good time. Care-Bot Unit Seven was already taking care of the daily household chores, thereby giving Kasumi a chance to actually go on her first, honest-to-goodness... date. 

Naturally, the shy and demure Kasumi tried to turn down Prototype's generous offer, but the technological Ranma wouldn't take no for an answer and was determined to get Kasumi to enjoy her freedom from the daily drudgery that had become her existence after her mother had passed away. Before she could protest, he gently nudged her into the mechanical hands of the other Care-Bots, instructing them to spare no expense in helping Kasumi prepare for an outing. He even had his Care-Bots create an entire new wardrobe for her, which contained articles of clothing that were a far cry from the housedresses and frilly aprons that Kasumi usually wore. 

At that moment, Kasumi was strolling down the street while holding onto T-Ranma's arm. She was dressed in a simple, pale-blue frock with a sash around her waist. The skirt came down to below her knees, but still showed off a good portion of shapely legs. She had on her feet, low-heeled pumps which accentuated her calves, but were specially designed not to put any undue pressure on her feet. (I can never understand how women can walk in those things!). The new clothes easily molded to her body, hinting at lush curves, while still maintaining a sense of decency and modesty. It was just as well. If Kasumi had opted for the dress that T-Ranma had given to her that first time she was in the complex, she would have caused a stampede of male suitors.

Her hair was tied in a luxuriant, lush tail that was drawn over her right shoulder. The Care-Bots had catered to her every need in preparing her for her date with their master. She had been given a soothing bath that had special enrichment minerals, which caused all the calluses, dryness and wrinkles from years of housework to vanish, leaving only smooth, unblemished and healthy skin. Her hands, which had borne the brunt of her hard labors to care for her family, became especially smooth-skinned as the Care-Bots worked their magic. Her hair had been treated with a special revitalizing shampoo that removed all tangles and knots, as well as giving the strands a healthy sheen. She had been given another expert manicure and pedicure as well, and for the first time, was actually wearing make-up. 

The Care-Bots had introduced her to a wide variety of exotic cosmetics and perfumes, some of which could not be found on Earth. Instead of making her look gaudy and over-made up, the Care-Bots instead went for a more natural look and only applied enough make up in the proper proportions to fully emphasize Kasumi's serene, yet angelic beauty. On her neck and wrists, they had applied a floral fragrance from a botanical planet that specialized in perfumes. The simple, plain and unassuming Kasumi that we all know and love became the beautiful and vibrant Kasumi that we all knew was there, but was reluctant to come out.

Kasumi had become overwhelmed by the attention she received and was more than nervous when she emerged in front of T-Ranma in the new ensemble. Prototype however, gave her an assuring smile while offering her his arm. 

The two had gone to a very fancy restaurant for lunch, and then to a movie theater. The looks and remarks that they received from other people made Kasumi even more embarrassed, as some would comment on what a lovely couple they made. To their eyes they saw a very beautiful girl on the arm of a tall, handsome and dashing man. Those who knew Kasumi did a series of double-takes as they passed by. Several could not believe that beautiful and enchanting vision of loveliness was the same Tendo girl who passed by them everyday on her shopping trips. They were unaccustomed at seeing her without her arms full of groceries or in her usual attire of a plain housedress and perhaps an apron. Many men liked what they saw and wondered how they could have missed such exquisiteness in Soun's eldest daughter. As for female watchers, they became jealous at seeing the Tendo girl hanging onto the arm of her handsome escort.

Kasumi couldn't believe that all this was happening and she felt a stirring of special feelings that she never experienced before. A feeling that everything was actually right and what she was doing was the most natural thing in the world. It was such a simple, ordinary act of going out with a companion, to eat, see a movie and now strolling down the streets. However, to her, it was a time of wonder. To be able to partake what other girls took for granted. And it was all made possible because of the boy, no... the MAN who walked beside her.

Kasumi gazed at her escort with a sense of amazement and curiosity. How could this person be Ranma? He was taller, older, broader of shoulder, charming, well-mannered and most importantly, far more mature than his native counterpart. And yet, when she looked into those blue eyes of his, she could see a small part of the Ranma she knew within Prototype. It was that love of life and devil-may-care attitude that sometimes scared her, yet also kept her fascinated. His face bespoke of great strength, integrity, and maturity. but still retained that spark of youthful mischievousness and rebellion that she found so endearing. It was if someone had taken out Ranma's best character traits and placed them into a more seasoned body. He was the dashing swashbuckler, the perfect gentleman, the heroic white knight and the lovable rebel without a cause, all rolled into one. He was like all those heroes in those trashy romance novels she secretly read when she was alone. Did Prototype represent what Ranma's utmost potential could attain in time? 

Kasumi was still contemplating on this when T-Ranma pointed to a nearby dance hall. Naturally, she tried to resist, saying that she wasn't much of a dancer. However, when the technological Ranma began pouring on the charm and compliments, she melted like butter and let herself be led toward the dance floor. 

---------- 

Meanwhile, in another part of Tokyo, in a secluded area of the park, a small portal shimmered into view for a moment, allowing a lone figure to step through it before it faded away into nothingness. The woman was tall and had long, black flowing hair. She was dressed simply in a blue and white kimono with matching sandals. She surveyed the area in which she had arrived in this world and nodded as she ascertained that no one had seen her entrance. She then began walking in the direction of the Tendo Dojo as she thought about the purpose of her being in this reality. 

DD-Akane knew that this was not going to be easy as she remembered back to her own youth. She had not liked change or criticism, and it had been quite simple for her to deny everything when it did not suit her. She knew from what the Ranma twins had shown her that the native Akane of this world was petty and easy to enrage. She wasn't afraid to gloat when she had the upper hand and would ignore the plain truth when things did not go her way. 

The alternate version of Ranma's fiancee sighed as she wondered just how she was going to make this world's Akane change or at least consider that her current behavior was unacceptable. For DD-Akane, she had to lose Ranma to her two greatest rivals, die and then be tortured by demons of the Dark World before she finally realized that acting the spoiled and abusive brat was not the way. Occasionally, she had nightmares about that experience. However, with the passage of time and the support of a loving husband and family, those bad dreams had gradually lessened in intensity. They still made her shiver, but she had found the strength from her experiences afterward to face them. 

The Akane of this world had not endured any of that and rarely, if ever had to suffer the consequences of her actions. She had not taken anywhere near as many lumps as Ranma had and would add more every day. There were the times, in which Akane had acted decently and made DD-Akane proud, but compared with the amount of punishment she had given to Ranma because of jealousy, lack of trust and compassion for her fiance's troubles; that was a trifling sum. Akane took Ranma for granted, thinking that no matter what she did to him, he would always remain loyal to her. Well, even a martial artist with an insane amount of patience had to have a breaking point, With the way things were now, it was only a matter of time before that limit was exceeded. Even now, the alternate versions of Ranma were giving their counterpart new ways of thinking. 

Recently, Akane's sister had told her about the theory of the Emotional Bank Account. DD-Akane had learned from Nabiki that a relationship was like maintaining two separate bank accounts. One could think of it in terms of deposits and withdrawals. A deposit could be like a smile or giving a person the benefit of the doubt. A withdrawal would like hitting him, name-calling or getting mad. Though she and Ranma did that to each other many times, Ranma didn't do it nearly half as much as Akane did. And he had also made several huge deposits into his account, such as defending her, saving her almost every other day, letting her hit him to vent out her anger instead of fighting back, eating her atrocious cooking to make her feel better, and, even giving up a few chances to be cured. His account was firmly in the black.

DD-Akane sighed again as she remembered back to her relationship with Ranma. She wished that she had not wasted so much of her account. She shook her head as she remembered that she had made more withdrawals than deposits in her emotional account, therefore invoking penalties for going into the negative. Penalties such as Ranma ignoring her, going off to be with other girls and insulting her. The biggest penalty of all was when he was split into twins, with love for Shampoo and Ukyo, and none for her beyond friendship. That was when the account was canceled. 

The alternate Akane knew from what she had observed of her native version's life up to this point, was that her emotional account was dangerously deep in the red. She had yet to even say the word, 'I'm sorry' to Ranma. The native Ranma had thrown in a huge balance for Akane when he arrived since he was so desperate for friends after a long and lonely training trip with only Genma for company. Bonuses were also thrown in, such as family honor, and the support of the family, but all of that could only go so far to cover Akane's expenses of abusing Ranma. What good was it to offer ten yen when you had to pay a hundred yen and then start the process all over again? Even Ranma could only stand so much. It's a miracle that he was able to hold it in _THIS_ long without exploding. 

Yes, it was plain to see that with the alternate versions of Ranma giving their native self a boost, and with the native Akane remaining unchanged, it was likely that the account that Akane had would be so deep in the red that it would be canceled soon. Though the Ranma twins had assured DD-Akane that those other Ranmas would not interfere with him making a choice of whom to marry, the older Akane still wanted to see her younger self get a better chance. However, if the native Akane were to lose her chance, even with the advice and lessons that DD-Akane planned to give her, then she would have no one to blame for her misfortune but herself. 

*** ---------- ***

Author's note: I took this idea of an emotional bank account from Skysaber's story Mirrors Multiplied. Now that was a great idea! One that I agree with totally.*** 

---------- 

Later...

"Are you kidding?!"

"Oh come on, Ranma. Why not?" 

"Because I wanna live to see the next day!" 

Koga paused to take a deep breath as he and Ranma walked back to Furinkan. "I don't understand why you're so up in arms about this. I only said that since Shampoo _IS_ your fiancee and..."

"Only because of that _STUPID_ Amazon Law and..." The cold look that the blind fighter gave Ranma made the brash martial artist stop in mid-rant and calm down. "Sorry about that, but what you're suggesting is just _ASKING_ for trouble!" 

"So what's wrong with taking Shampoo out on a date?" 

"_WHAT'S WRONG?! HAVE YOU GONE NUTS?!_ Do you realize what Akane and Ukyo will do if they see me with Shampoo?!" 

Koga cocked his head to one side and then replied, "All right. So take Ukyo out on a date too. She won't have anything to complain about then, right? Come to think of it, since Kasumi and Nabiki are technically included in the pledge to unite the schools, it wouldn't hurt to take them out either."

"What about Akane?" 

"What about her?"

"Huh?" 

"Ranma... the reason why I suggested that you take Shampoo out is simple. She's your fiancee, yet she does not get to see you often. The same thing goes for Ukyo. They deserve to spend some time with you. I can tell that they really do care about you. And my counterparts and I all agree that they deserve _THAT_ much, especially with all the sacrifices they've made for you." 

"Sacrifices? What sacrifices?" 

_Oh boy! He can't be THIS dense, now can he?_ "Ranma, Ukyo had been acting like a boy for ten years and lived only for revenge against you. She still forgave you and lets you eat at her restaurant for free. She thinks the world of you and despite all those times you've treated her as just an old friend, she still hopes that it will be more. She's so hopeful that she'll be the one that you'll marry, she won't even consider looking at another guy. She's pinned her entire future on you. Now if you don't call that a big sacrifice, then I'm _REALLY_ worried about you. And as for Shampoo, she's already made a lot of sacrifices and broken quite a few laws for you." 

"Huh?" 

"Ranma, do you remember when you told Shampoo that you were really a girl? She should have killed you, but she didn't! She simply left to go back to the village in disgrace! She received a Jusenkyo curse! She could have easily killed Akane, but since you cared so much about her, she instead used the Xi Fang Gao Shiatsu technique! She stood by you when Ling Ling and Lung Lung were hunting you. She helped you when Mousse tried to turn you into a duck! Open your eyes, Ranma! She _CARES_ about you! It's a wonder if that concern is deserving!"

"Hey! Now don't you tell me about her! She's used potions, tricks, and blackmail on me and..." 

"_ONLY_ because you don't give her as many chances as you do with Akane."

"Huh?"

B-Ranma took a deep breath and said in a serious tone. "Ranma, the reasons why Shampoo did all those bad things is because she believes that those are the only ways she has to win you! She wouldn't even _DO_ those things if she wasn't sure that you were worth it. Take it from me, I can sense it in her. No matter how many times you've brushed her off, she still cares a _LOT_ for you. I'm surprised that you never noticed that."

"But..."

"Ranma, I don't mean to be insulting, since I _KNOW_ you weren't born stupid. Did you just learn to be an idiot from Genma or did you just get brain-damaged from all those hits from Akane's mallet? Ranma, the signs were all there, but you just chose to ignore them all. Now I know that I'm sounding biased, but think about it. If you give Shampoo some respect and understanding, then perhaps she might lay off on the tricks and be more honest with you." 

"Maybe..." Ranma said slowly. "But taking her out on a date wouldn't work! I just know that something will happen to spoil it, not to mention that Akane's dad and my Dad would get in the way and stuff." 

"Don't worry about that!' My counterparts and I have discussed it and we agree that you should spend more time with the other girls to get to know them better. If you do take out Ukyo and Shampoo, then we'll make sure that no one will interfere. Prototype has even offered to foot the bill for dinner, dancing, movies, the works!" 

"But how about Akane?" 

"Well... you can take her out, _IF_ you want to, but she sees you everyday and you live at the dojo. That's the main advantage she has over the other girls. I _KNOW_ you're not staying there for her cooking or the daily blows to the head. That's the reason why we invited you to live with us. We wanted to give you some freedom and teach you to make your own decisions and lead your own life."

"Hey! I get to choose what I want to do with my life!"

"Oh really? So I guess the pledge to unite the Schools of the Anything Goes was your idea, right?"

"Well, no..."

"And choosing Akane as the your fiancee was also your idea?" 

"Hey! That's not what I..." 

"And having all those troubles that your father had caused, by selling you, was part of your plan, right?" 

"Wait a minute! My old man did that and..." 

"Precisely. In other words, for the last sixteen years or so, you've been living by what _GENMA_ had set out for you. All his plans, all his arrangements, all those promises that he had made and broken on your behalf had _NOTHING_ to do with what you wanted or planned. So exactly _WHAT_ decisions have you made, have had any real importance to your future? The answer is... _NOTHING_! A big, fat zero! From what I had learned from your past, you've been content to let that idiot of a father run and _RUIN_ your life! And it's never going to change unless _YOU_ do something about it!" 

"Hey! It's not as easy as you think!" Ranma protested. 

The blind Ranma nodded as he said, "True, but life is never simple! However, like the old saying goes, the kami only help those who help themselves! If you're just waiting for things to get better and just take whatever garbage that comes your way, then you're going to be up to your neck in crud for the rest of your life! Ignoring the bad things will just make it harder to handle when they get bigger!" 

"So what are you saying I should do about it!" 

"What I'm saying is that you should take long, hard look at your life and think about what you really want in your future. Are you certain you want to married to an abusive person who does not give you the benefit of the doubt nor listens to what you have to say? Do you want to constantly have to take punishment every time you wake up? Do you want to keep paying for your father's mistakes? Or do you want to take control of your life?" 

"Well..." 

"Ranma, I can't tell you anything else, except for this little bit of advice that I once heard a great space captain say during our journeys. He said for us not to live by other people's rules. Do what _YOU_ want, the way _YOU_ want it." 

"Who said that?" 

"His name was Justy Ueki Tylor. He was the captain of a space destroyer that we ended up on once during an intergalactic war. But in any case, what do you say?" 

Ranma became silent as he started to digest the information that Koga had told him. A lot of it made sense. It couldn't really hurt to give his suggestions a try. And Koga did promise that he and the other Ranmas would keep the rest of the Nerima Wrecking Crew from interfering. Still, it sounded so unlikely that it would work. However, the words of the Captain of the Soyokaze came back to him. He did want to live by his own choices. Finally, he decided that this would be his first real step toward a future of his own making. 

"Okay, I'll give it a try." 

---------- 

"Oh, that was wonderful! Simply marvelous!" Kasumi said as she and T-Ranma walked down the path in the city park. After spending an enjoyable afternoon of dinner, a movie and dancing, the eldest Tendo daughter felt light on her feet. She sidled up even closer to her companion and let off a contented sigh.

"I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself, Kasumi." The oldest of Ranma's counterparts said with a smile. "You deserve to live it up every now and then and forget all your troubles. You only get one life, so you should live it. I certainly hope that you will keep that in mind and not take it so hard." He gestured to a park bench and they both sat down. 

"I've... never felt so... so..." She couldn't describe the feeling of total abandonment and rapture that she was experiencing. Her heart didn't feel the burdens that her usual drudgery caused, nor did her soul feel as bound. And it was all because of this man! Yes, she considered Prototype as a _TRUE_ man. He was not the immature native Ranma, nor was he the nice, but hopeless Dr. Tofu. He was confident and bold, yet sensitive and caring. He was firm and direct, but also carried a sense of intrigue. He was everything that she had ever dreamed for in a man, and much, much more. And she could just see herself now, in a beautiful white dress and he in an elegant suit, walking along down an aisle... 

However, for T-Ranma, it was different. Though Kasumi was a woman that any man would be proud to call as his own, he did not think of himself as deserving such an angel. And a life with her, though would be Heaven on Earth, was an impossible dream. He wasn't going to be in this world forever. There was the fact that someone else already held his heart and was waiting for him back in his own universe. And there was the fact that he also led an extremely dangerous lifestyle. 

He had taken Kasumi from her life of unending chores so that she could experience life to the fullest. However, he had not expected things to go this far. As the silence between them wore on, he began to feel guiltier. He could already see the signs in Kasumi's eyes. She was starting to fall in love with him. Though he feared that it would break her heart, he knew that it was time to set the record straight. 

"Kasumi... there's something that I need to tell you." 

"Yes?" 

"Kasumi... you are a very special and a _VERY_ beautiful woman. I'm certain that soon, dozens, if not hundreds of men will be beating on your door every day, just to be near you. And who am I to deprive them of that?" 

"W-W-What are you saying?" Kasumi became a bit confused. "I thought that..." 

"Kasumi, when I first met up with you, I saw a very hard-working, honest and very attractive person, who had nothing but utter devotion to her family. Now that in itself is very commendable, but in order to care for your family's well being, you had to sacrifice your own freedom and perhaps your very future. I wanted to give you a chance at living life as it was meant to be. That's why I had Care Bot Number 7 take over your duties. I also took into account that you didn't have much experience outside of the managing the house, nor with just enjoying yourself. Like Ranma with his martial arts is everything attitude, that will not do. Therefore, I decided to take you out so that you could experience these things." 

"And it has been wonderful with you." Kasumi said. 

"And I've enjoyed my times with you and perhaps we can share some more experiences. However, I do not think that you should consider me as your _ONLY_ option."

"What... are you saying?" Kasumi asked in a trembling voice. 

"There are many men out there, Kasumi, and there is someone just waiting to make you happy forever. I feel that I'm not worthy for someone like you." 

"But Father said that..." 

T-Ranma immediately held up a hand. "No Kasumi. I'm afraid that your father is under a _GRAVE_ misconception." _Most likely because of that idiot Genma and that Pledge_ "I will talk with him. However, I must be honest with you. I have enjoyed being with you, and under different circumstances, it would have been an easy choice. However, you _DO_ know that I won't be here forever, remember?"

Soun's eldest daughter became silent as that one fact sunk in. T-Ranma was right. He was going to be gone in a few months. She had been enjoying herself so much, that she had even begun to dream of an eventual life with Prototype. With her father making silly dances and going on drinking binges every time he saw them together, Nabiki and Akane's sister had thought that she and Ranma's counterpart were meant for each other. Now... 

T-Ranma felt his own heart breaking as he saw the first signs of moisture welling up in her eyes. He quickly raised a hand to wipe it away and then gently used it to turn her head so that they were face to face. Giving her a small smile, he then said in a reassuring voice, "I don't like to see a pretty butterfly shed tears." 

Calling her a butterfly made Kasumi's spirits rise a bit as she remembered the time he had called her that. At that time, she had felt truly alive. However, she realized what T-Ranma was trying to tell her. Taking a deep breath, she nodded and said, "I understand, Prototype. I suppose... it was just wishful thinking and you will _HAVE_ to go and..." 

"And that doesn't mean that you'll be going _BACK_ to how things were."

"What?" The oldest Ranma counterpart nodded. "I mean it. You've already used up a good portion of your life to care for your family, and that's more than enough." 

"But what about my..." 

"Care Bot Number 7-A will take care of them." 

"Who?" 

The technological Ranma gave off a series of short, sharp whistles on a specific frequency. A minute later, the telltale hum of a Care Bot's repulsor field was heard. The little machine was followed by another one, as they suddenly appeared and stopped before the couple. The first one raised up its upper portions and saluted. 

"Care Bot Unit 7 is online." 

The second machine followed suit and saluted. Kasumi noted that it had a number seven plus a letter A imprinted on its head. 

"Care Bot Unit 7-A is online." 

Kasumi was surprised to hear that the new automaton sound exactly like Unit Seven as T-Ranma explained with a smile. 

"Kasumi, I would like to introduce you to your very own Care Bot. " 

"My Care Bot?" 

"Yes. I had instructed Unit Seven to replicate itself, so that you will no longer have to worry about the household duties, when my counterparts and I leave this world. Unit 7-A is my gift to you and it shall be the Tendo family's permanent retainer." 

"I... don't know what to say." 

"Don't say anything. No thanks are needed and you don't have to worry about maintenance or anything. Seven A is fully equipped. It has its own self-repair systems and a proton reactor that will last for centuries. It shall make certain that your family will want for nothing and you Kasumi, will be free... to fully enjoy what life has to offer." 

Kasumi couldn't believe her good fortune. After Prototype had told her that they were not to be, she had begun to think that things would revert back to the way things were. Now with the addition of Unit 7-A, things were now looking brighter again. She could go out and have fun. She could go to college if she wished to further her education. She could even...find that certain someone who could make her as happy as Prototype had. She then began to reconsider Dr. Tofu. 

Tears began to well up in her eyes again, but this time, they were tears of joy as she suddenly looped her arms around his neck and held him tight. "Thank you!" 

---------- 

Evening at the Tendo home... 

Both Kasumi and her date were in high spirits as they came in through the door. After giving the eldest Tendo daughter a small kiss on the cheek, T-Ranma headed for the broom closet as Kasumi went off to her room. As he neared the closet, he frowned a bit as he saw Soun, who was obviously ecstatic at seeing his daughter happy, and assumed incorrectly that the future of the Anything Goes was assured. 

"Well son, I see that Kasumi had enjoyed herself today." Soun said with glee. 

"Yes, she's quite the dancer." T-Ranma admitted. 

"Good! So now I have wonderful news!" 

"Really?" _And I wonder just what that might be? As if I didn't know._

"I've decided that we don't need to wait any longer, so I've called for a priest to arrive in the morning. We'll be having the ceremony right away!"

"No." T-Ranma said simply, though he knew that Soun wasn't listening. 

"Oh how wonderful it will be! The Schools of the Anything Goes will be joined and..."

"No." He repeated, this time a little more forcefully. 

This time, Soun caught his response and stopped gushing at how his lifelong dream was going to be fulfilled. "Ah... I beg your pardon? It sounded like you said..." 

"You heard me correctly, Tendo-san. I said no. I thought you got the message the first time I said it at that restaurant."

"W-W-What do you mean no? I thought that..." 

"You thought wrong, Tendo-san." 

"But the Pledge to unite the schools!" 

"Means absolutely nothing to me, and it doesn't apply to me anyway." 

"What do you mean?!" Soun began to form the first vestiges of his Dreaded Demon Head. (Not that it would have affected Prototype in the slightest). 

"I mean that it doesn't apply to myself, nor my counterparts. Fact: the Genma Saotome here is _NOT_ our father, therefore the promise that he made to you does not include us. Fact: each one of us has his own separate reason why Genma's vow to you is meaningless. Koga was adopted by the Amazons and holds no ties to his original family. Draco's mother is the head of _HIS_ family and therefore, Genma's oath means nothing if she does not approve of it. Kojiro has long since renounced his family name of Saotome, so the promise means squat to him. Ash doesn't even live on his own planet, and has no intention of ever going back. As for me, well I'm over 21, so I'm considered an adult and I can make my own decisions. Besides, I think Kasumi would also have something to say in this matter of you trying to force her into a marriage. She's free to make her own choices." 

"_WHY YOU!!!_" Soun's Demon Head of Outrage went full blast at T-Ranma's defiance. 

However, just before he was about to retaliate, a stern female voice was heard. 

"Father! Behave yourself!" 

The Demon Head turned in shock to see... a very irritated Kasumi? She was standing with her arms crossed over her chest and with one foot tapping on the floor. What was most surprising was that her features were furrowed into a honest-to-goodness expression of anger. 

"Daughter!" Soun gasped out in a monstrous voice.

"Is this how we treat our guests? What would mother think if she were still here?" Kasumi demanded in a tone that was not at all sweet. 

"Er..." Soun began deflating back into his normal appearance, unsure of what was causing his daughter to act like this. When he began seeing an angry image of his dead wife superimposing over his daughter's, his body trembled. 

T-Ranma felt even more proud of her. Not only was she starting to open up, but also she was being more assertive and aware, rather than just being oblivious to the world around her. 

"She's right." He commented. "That was _BAD_ manners." 

Soun hung his head in shame as he walked dejected out of the room. Kasumi nodded to T-Ranma and gave him a slight bow. "Please forgive my father's lack of courtesy. I'll call the priest in the morning and tell him not to come." Though she would have loved to have the ceremony, she respected Prototype's feelings in the matter. 

"No offense taken, Kasumi. Good evening to you." 

The eldest Tendo girl bowed as she went back to her room. 

---------- 

_Kasumi certainly has grown a lot in the last few days, and I hope to see the same with Ranma, once he starts dating the other girls._ T-Ranma thought as he headed toward his own quarters in the complex. He then stopped and snapped his fingers as he just remembered something. _Oh yeah! That's right! I have to take them out of storage! They need to stretch their legs. I almost forgot about them ever since we left that universe!_

He then made an about-face and went to where his cloaked ship was parked. He entered the craft and went toward the stern. In the rear storage area in a small compartment were four cylinders, three of which were about six inches in length, while the fourth was about half that size. Punching in a few key codes on a nearby panel, he started accessing the ship's menu database. 

_Let's see... I'll bring them up to full size. I only shrunk them to their 1/6th-scale bodies to save room and power. Activating molecular expansion fields..._

----------

A few minutes later, T-Ranma exited his ship, followed by Cyberdoll May, Kei, Rena and Mami II. (1) The group headed toward the complex. 

---------- 

Somewhere else... 

_Curse those five! I've waited for a very long time for this!_ A figure in the darkness thought as he watched the events unfolding on a mystic portal. _Ranma should be **DEAD** by now, but those meddling Chosen Twins sent those five alternates to safeguard him! Well, no matter. I **WILL** have the power that was denied to me and Ranma Saotome shall die!_

To be continued... 

Author's Notes 

Whoa! It's been a long while since I updated this as I am now working to finish some of the stories that are nearing their ends. As I had promised, GCC will have a climax... it's just a matter of me getting to it. I had to reread the whole thing and get some new inspiration from Skysaber's Mirrors Multiplied fic. In any case, it's good to be back on this story again. 

(1) I'm also working on finishing the Side Stories and the explanation of the Cyberdolls will be included.


End file.
